Kingdom Hearts: Keys to the Kingdom
by thepenishellamightier257
Summary: A story of five teens yearning for worlds beyond their own, who find themselves thrust center stage in a conflict that affects the entire universe. The story of a hero, a knight, a mage, a dreamer, and a princess, all fighting against the dark scourge of the Heartless. The story of the Kingdom Hearts you know, just a little bit different. Contains Original Characters.
1. The First Day of The Rest of Your Life

_I've been having these weird thoughts lately…_  
_  
Like is any of this for real…? _  
_  
Or not?_

The sound of waves slowly lapping against the shore pierces the silence of Sora's dreamscape. His eyes are closed, but the bright, relentless cheerfulness of the sun shining above him pierces through, bathing all of his perceptions in orange light. It should bother him, interrupting the comforting darkness that rests just behind his eyelids, but somehow the light warms him, and the thought of darkness is…

_You are the one who will open the Door._

As soon as the words appear, images flood Sora's imagination: A stained glass platform, an ornate door that somehow carries a hint of menace about it, a sword worthy of a champion of the Light…

And a monstrous shadow springing forth from his own silhouette.

This memory is unpleasant, but Sora finds himself unableto escape it, unable to open his eyes, and the orange light that once filtered through his eyelids begins to fade as darkness encroaches, a darkness dotted with yellow points of light that could be inhuman eyes…

"Sora, wake up!"

The voice startles the boy, but it also seems to have an effect on the darkness that is threatening him, sending it scurrying back,replacing it with light.

Sora opens his eyes, finally fully returned to the world of the living. The sky is the same bright blue overhead, and a glare in the cornerof his eye suggests the sun has not yet moved into the center of the sky. Morning is not over yet.

The time for rest clearly is, though.

"C'mon, Sora, just wake up already!" the soft voice that drove away the darkness demands, a giggle breaking up the seriousness of the command. It is a voice he recognizes, and cherishes with all his heart.

"Lazy bum!"

"Man, Kairi," Sora protests, sitting up. From his new point of view he can see the clear blue waves of the ocean lapping at the pristine white sands of the shoreline. "Can't a guy get some rest around here?"

He turns around to continue the conversation. Kairi is standing before him now, hands clasped behind her back. She is dressed for play, in a white tank top and purple shorts. A mischievous grin adorns her face, eyes sparkling. Her red hair, just a little above shoulder length, frames her face.

"It's still morning, sleepy head," she counters, one hand coming from behind her back to wave a lecturing finger. "If you were tired, you should have just slept in! Riku would have understood."

"Yeah, I guess I just wanted to be here," he replies, rising to his knees. "With how serious Riku has been about this project lately…"

"I understand," Kairi agrees, walking past him to stand on the edge of the shore, though far enough away from the surf that her shoes, once white but now stained by sand and mud, do not get wet. "But I guess your body wasn't as ready to start working as you thought it was."

"Right," Sora agrees, plopping his butt back into the sand and staring out at the waves, occasionally sneaking glances at his friend from the corner of his eye. She is quiet now, a contemplative look on her face as she gazes out. It's the same look he sees on her face in school when she'sworking on something. Something is on her mind. "I kinda wish I _had_ just stayed awake though. I had this really freaky dream. I think something was, like, chasing me. Something, I dunno… Dark."

"You probably just ate too many eggs for breakfast," Kairi suggests, not taking her eyes off of the horizon, her voice sounding distant, almost like she is barely there. This level of contemplation is something rare, Sora knows, but for some reason, it frightens him. In a moment of pure clarity, he just knows that he has to get Kairi's mind back from where it has drifted to.

So, he decides to go with an old favorite.

"Hey, Kairi," Sora asks, resting his arms on his knees, "what do you remember about your home? Where you came from, I mean, before…"

"Before the meteor shower twelve years ago?" she finishesfor him, familiar with this line of questioning, a conversation that has been had many a time. "The day I came here, the night you found me on this very beach?"

"Uh, yeah," Sora answers, suddenly feeling that he has overstepped some boundary he was unaware existed. Kairi's answer to the question of her place of origin is usually quite curt, almost like she doesn't ever want to speak of it. The quiet thoughtfulness of her response now is enough to indicate to Sora that something is different, something has changed.

"No, I have no memory at all of where I was born," she admits, some of the dreaminess peeling away from her voice, returning it to its normal tone. "As far as I know, I popped into existence at four years old, right here on this beach. I realize that's ridiculous, but… I have no other explanation."  
"But, uh, if you could go back," Sora continues, suddenly more desperate for her response than ever before. "Just visit your home… Would you?"

For a moment Kairi just continues to stare out at the surf, then she turns to face Sora once more, half-smiling. "Well, Sora, first of all, these islands are my home. As far as I'm concerned, everything important in my life is going to happen here, with my family, and my friends."

"But…"

"If it were just to visit though, just to see it…" Kairi continues, the distant expression returning to her face. "Yes, of course I would go. It would be interesting, maybe even wonderful. But, honestly, no matter what that place is like, I'd only be happy if I could come back here. Back to my real home." She turns to face him and graces his eyes with a fond grin. "And you'd have to come with me, of course."

"You know I would Kairi," he promises, smiling up at grin has returned, and something inside his chest grows warm and content, a feeling that has been appearing more and more lately, and always when Kairi is looking at him. He suspects it is significant. "I'd love to see where you came from." He stands now, moving past her to the waves, water gently licking at his yellow shoes, half a size too big, but worn out of courtesy to his grandmother who had gifted them to the boy for Christmas. He throws his arms out wide, encompassing the whole of the horizon. "In fact, I want to see every world outthere! And when we're finished with the raft…"

"You mean _if_!" a voice from behind, deep and mellow, interrupts. "The raft is never going to get finished if you two are just standing around being lazy."

Sora turns away from the shore, facing Riku, his best friend ever since he can remember.

The boy, older by one year, is holding a large log under his arm, pressed into the yellow fabric of his sleeveless shirt. He's wearing blue pants that fall just above the ankle, shoes that combine the colors of black, yellow, and blue, and his black gloves, which seem somewhat unreasonable in the weather of the islands, but cool nonetheless. His blue eyes gaze accusingly at Sora and Kairi from under the bangs of his silver hair, worn longer than Kairi's, just past his shoulders, and his mouth is twisted in an amused smirk that, on him, somehow seems nearly cruel.

"Hey, don't put this one me," Kairi protests, giggling. "I was just trying to get Sora here in gear."

"Traitor!" Sora cries out, trying to sound as wounded as possible by this "betrayal". The laugh that accompanies the word gives him away though, and soon all three of the teens are laughing it up on the shore.

"Nice try, but I know you're secretly just as lazy as he is!" Riku accuses, shaking his head at the girl. "In fact, the combined laziness of the pair of you is probably just gonna slow us down on our trip. I'm tempted to take off without you, save myself the grief."

"Oh yeah?" Sora says in mock challenge, stepping up to the older boy. "You wouldn't last two days without us to boss around! Without anyone to give orders to, you'd just…"

Sora is interrupted, rather violently, when Riku tosses the log at him, lobbed underhand, but still heavy and possessing plenty of momentum. Startled, Sora catches the log, but in the process loses his balance, sending him crashing butt-first into the sand. A grunt escapes his lips as he lands.

The others laugh at him, and after a moment of embarrassment, Sora joins in. After all, what's a little light-hearted joke between friends?

"What can I do, oh wise and diligent leader, to prove myself to you?" Kairi asks, mock-bowing slightly.

"I think at this point, you're beyond convincing me,"Riku replies teasingly, turning away dramatically. "No, I'm fairly certain that I should just go it alone!"

"How about I _do _prove myself worthy?" Kairi continues, her voice hardening, as if she is becoming tired of this back-and-forth game. "I'll race you. Both of you!"

Riku snorts. "Yeah, right."

"Sure Kairi," Sora adds with an accompanying eye roll. "C'mon."

"Are you refusing my challenge?" the red-head asks defiantly, hands on hips. She smirks. "Scared that you're gonna get beaten by a girl?"

"Yeah, yeah, Kairi," Sora answers dismissively, flipping the log into the soft sand.

"Well, I'm going whether you two are brave enough to face me or not! On your mark…"  
The boys look at each other, each with an incredulous look in their eyes, as if they cannot believe this is actually happening. But behind that look is another, brighter spark of mischief, just waiting to spring forth.

"Get set…"

As Kairi prepares her stance, both boys subtly shift, muscles coiling like jungle predators ready to pounce. Kairi notices this in her peripheral vision, but remains unworried. She may not be as good at fighting as the boys, but she is confident in her speed, especially as she is starting from a superior position.

"Go!"

Even as Kairi begins, the two boys leap into action, arms and legs pumping, carrying them down the beach at top speed. Kairi shrieks a bit in surprise, but recovers quickly and is after them. Riku takes an early lead, a fierce look in his eye despite the whimsical nature of the event.

Sora is right behind him, and Kairi is neck and neck with the boy. The pair look at each other and begin to laugh, cementing the goodwill nature of the match. Ahead, Riku hears this outburst and begins one of his own, his steps faltering slightly as he does. Soon, the other two are right behind him, a golden trio running side by side down the beach, carefree as birds taking wing.

It is a moment that they all should take care to enjoy, for soon the days of laughter and joy and light will end for them.

Darkness approaches them, but they remain unaware. Ignorance may be bliss, but neither can last forever.  
_  
You are the one who will open the Door…_

**Kingdom Hearts**  
_Keys to the Kingdom_

Eventually the trio tires out, all three of them collapsing in the sand at the other end of the beach, taking heaving breaths to replenish themselves after spending so much energy on their race.

"I guess we'll have to call that a tie, huh?" Kairi asks, still puffing heavily. "After all, nobody really won."

"There wasn't even a finish line," Sora points out, clearing some sweat coated strands of brown hair out of his eyes.

"At least it got the two of you moving," Riku says, his breathing already almost regulated again. "If we want to take maximum advantage of our vacation time, we'll have to set out in a few days. That'll give us about five weeks, I figure, before we turn back for home."

"Five weeks?" Sora asks incredulously. "Do we have enough supplies for that long?"

"We do if the two of you have all been storing things up like I told you," Riku answers, his tone indicating that failure to have been stocking will result in maximum disappointment.

"I have," Sora says defensively, and Kairi chimes in that she is ready too.

"Good," Riku congratulates the pair, clamping one hand on Sora's shoulder. "Now all that's left is to build the raft. I've gathered most of the wood."

"I've got the sail taken care of," Kairi adds. "My dad has a bunch of old sailor stuff from when my grandpa was young. It's in my boat now."

"Good thinking Kairi," Riku says to the girl, winking at her. Sora notices this, and a strange spark of something unpleasant strikes momentarily in his stomach and chest. "I guess now we just need a rope to tie on the sail."

"I can get it!" Sora volunteers immediately, eager to move on from the strange feeling that just gripped him.

"Good hustle Sora," Riku teases, giving the younger boy a wink not unsimilar to the one Kairi just received from him. "You may earn your place on this voyage yet."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Sora mutters back sarcastically, but the grin on his face belies his true emotions. "I'll be back with that rope in less than an hour." He rises and, with a final nod to his best friends, sets off down the beach.

"See you then!" Kairi cheerfully calls after him.

Sora gets about halfway down the beach when he realizes that, in point of fact, he has no idea _where _he can secure a rope. In all his eagerness, he had forgotten that crucial fact, and now he may very well be facing humiliation.

It's become more and more evident of late that Riku is having trouble taking him seriously. Sora would put this down to the fact that Riku is older, seventeen and only a year out from graduating, except that the boy seems to take Kairi more seriously than anything. Except this raft voyage, anyway. Well, Sora decides, he's just going to have to prove to his companion that he is to be taken _very _seriously.

Sora continues his walk, eventually finding himself on the path from the beach to a nearby pier where the kids of the islands often congregate. Walking along the path, lined with tall grass and the colorful flowers that grow on the small island, Sora has always felt at peace, and now is no different. Something about this island, and the larger one that his house, and all residents of the islands, occupy, has always calmed him, even with its smallness. Sora may want to visit as many other worlds as he can, but like Kairi, he's only truly happy calling one place his home.

He hears the sound of something large and thin moving through the air with speed as he walks up the steps to the pier. Though all ofthe children of the islands have their weapons of choice, only one could be making that sound.

Tidus, a boy nearly two years Sora's junior, stands on the pier, barefoot and wearing blue shorts, one leg longer than the other, and a yellow vest. He has foregone a shirt today, and his chest, still scrawny from youth, seems to be developing a musculature. In his hand rests the long pole he calls his sword. This is a rather generous description, as the "weapon" is really nothing more than the handle of a broom.

"Hey, Sora!" Tidus calls cheerfully as he sees Sora reach the top step of the pier, still swinging his sword through the air, satisfied with the noise it makes as he does so. "Nice day today, yeah?"

"Uh, yeah, it is," Sora agrees, somewhat cautiously. Tidus, while probably an okay guy at heart, is known around the island as something of a brat, and it is a reputation that Sora has seen him earn time and again. "A nice summer day."

"Yep," Tidus says somewhat distractedly, focusing once again on his "swordplay". After a moment though, he looks back up at Sora, a mischievous look in his eyes that somehow comes across a lot worse than similar looks Sora has received from his friends today. "So, are you still planning on that raft trip? You, and Riku, and Kairi?"

"Yeah, Tidus, we are," Sora answers casually, trying to head off what he knows is coming. "It's coming together real well actually. In fact, I'm here looking for…"

"It'll never work!" Tidus teases, dropping his sword hand to his side and placing the other hand on his hip. "Trust me, I go sailing with my dad all the time, and there's just no way a dinky little raft is gonna get you anywhere, especially not to some 'other world' that probably doesn't even exist! I give it a day before you three are back here, crying about how your dreams are ruined."

"You're wrong Tidus," Sora protests, stepping up to the smaller boy and jabbing a finger in his skinny chest. "Our raft is going to take us to a whole other world, you'll see! Actually, you won't, because you're too scared to ever try something that brave!"

"Who are you calling scared?" Tidus charges back with, batting Sora's finger away with his hand. "I'm not scared of anything. Especially not you. In fact, I bet I could beat you right now, in a swordfight!"

"Really?" Sora shoots back, refusing to be intimidated by a fourteen year old. "If that's what you want, fine. My sword is back in my canoe, but I'll meet you on the beach in twenty minutes, and then we'll see who's brave and who isn't."

"Okay, sure," Tidus agrees, his voice shaking a bit. "We'll see."

"Sure will!" Sora says as a finisher, turning to head back down the steps, before realizing that he can possibly kill two birds with one stone here. "And bring some rope. From one of your father's boats, I know he keeps one on this island."

"Why would I need…?"

"Just do it, okay?" With that, Sora walks down the stairs briskly, taking them two at a time.

About nineteen minutes later, both Sora and Tidus are on the beach, not too far from where Sora had taken his nap earlier, both ready to duke it out. Tidus has his pole with him, gripped one-handed, while Sora carries his own wooden sword, created by himself with help from Riku's uncle. It looks more like an actual sword than Tidus's weapon, with a pointed blade and cross guard, and Sora has plenty of training with it, from sparring with both Riku and a few other kids around the island. The fight before him is looking to be an easy one.

"So before we start, I gotta ask," Tidus says, already in his battle stance, "why the rope?"

"Because when I win, I get that rope," Sora explains, crouching into his own battle stance, both hands holding his sword's hilt. "Deal?"

"Yeah, whatever," Tidus agrees, smirk still on his face. "After all, it's not like you're gonna beat me anyhow!"  
_  
We'll see_, Sora thinks as he takes a step towards his opponent, already getting ready for the first strike.

Tidus makes the first move actually, running at Sora with his sword swinging. Sora blocks one blow, takes a step back, blocks a second blow, then charges in.

Tidus, still recovering after putting most of his strength into the last two swings, is surprised by the move, and he frantically tries to backpedal, only to end up getting hit twice in the chest by Sora's sword. The boy cries out in surprise and sidesteps.

Sora's momentum, thoroughly committed to the third blow he thought he'd land, takes him a few steps away from his opponent, leaving his back exposed. Tidus takes advantage of the distraction, catching Sora's flank with a solid blow. The older boy cries out in pain, but recovers in time to turn back and block a second blow.

Tidus grunts and pushes forward, gripping his sword in his left hand as well as his right in an attempt to get leverage over Sora, who has both hands grasping the hilt of his weapon. But Sora has two years and quite a bit of muscle on him, and forces the boy back a few steps.

Tidus knows he could dig his heels in and try to keep this contest of strength going, but he realizes that in the long run, he's going to lose. So, he disengages, hoping Sora will be caught off balance.

But Sora is actually already prepared, maintaining his footing. Realizing that the advantage is now his, he pushes forward, swinging hard for Tidus. The younger boy cannot block the blow, or the one that follows.  
Finally, the third swing in the combination connects with his torso, forcing him back a few steps.

"Oh, man!" he cries out, clutching the red skin of his stomach. "That hurts!"

"Enough to convince you to give up?" Sora asks, dropping back into his ready stance. "Because I could go longer."

No, no," Tidus concedes, dropping his sword so both of his hands can clutch at his hurting torso, red marks still stinging where he'd been hit. "You win, I lose. You're the brave one."

Despite being satisfied with victory, Sora cannot help but feel for the younger boy clutching his stomach in front of him. "Hey," he says, dropping his own sword and moving to rest a hand on Tidus's shoulder, "you're plenty brave just for stepping up to fight. You might have lost, but at least you decided to show up."

"Thanks Sora," Tidus says, looking up at him with a grin. "And I'm sorry for making fun of your raft. I'm sure you're gonna get out of here and go see other worlds, no problem."

"With that rope we will!" Sora agrees.

About twenty minutes later he finds Riku and Kairi in the cove, surrounded by raft supplies and munching on sandwiches. Sora grins at the sight, hungry and a bit weary from his earlier fight. He drops the rope by the rest of the supplies and takes a seat by his friends.

"Nice to see you've got _some _use," Riku teases as Kairi hands him a sandwich, which the boy bites into eagerly.

"Be nice!" Kairi orders, though the small smile on her face gives away the amusement she takes from the comment. "Now we can start building."

"Indeed we can," Riku agrees, standing up and grabbing a log.  
"Can I at least finish lunch first?" Sora asks, causing his friends to burst out laughing.

For the rest of the afternoon the trio assembles their vessel, pulling together all of its disparate elements into an actual ship worthy of the high seas. Maybe.

Riku organizes the process and lifts the heaviest pieces, while Sora mostly does grunt work along with Kairi. After about three hours, they are ready for a test drive.

Riku and Sora strip off their shirts and guide the raft into the water while Kairi sits atop it, still wearing all of her playclothes and threatening to do nasty things to the boys if they get her sent into the drink.

"Anything happens Kairi, I've got you," Sora assures her, grinning. The look he gets in return almost causes him to stumble over the next wave, but he manages to retain his balance. Riku laughs, but Kairi doesn't, seemingly caught up in something else that Sora can't decipher.

The vessel is declared seaworthy about an hour later, after all three manage to get aboard without tipping it over, and gets dragged back to the shore to await launch.

"Sun's setting," Riku observes as he slips his shirt back on, wet spots forming where he hasn't adequately toweled. "Wanna go watch on the islet?"

"Okay."

"Sure."

The islet is a small mass that rests just off the main beach, connected to it by a wooden bridge. The land is dotted by palm trees, with one even curving over horizontally to provide a perfect sitting spot. Sora and Kairi clamber up onto it, while Riku just leans against it coolly.

For a few moments the trio just watch the setting sun paint the sky in hues of purple and orange, content to silently observe.

But something is bothering Sora, a comment heard earlier in the day that he just can't shake.

"Are we really sure a raft can take us to another world?" he asks, breaking the silence and causing two heads to swivel towards him. "I mean, I know we tested it to hold up in the ocean, but…"

"It'll do the job, Sora," Riku cuts him off, waving a gloved hand dismissively. "I promise you, that raft can take us to another world."

"But, okay, so once we leave the islands, how do we know when we've found Kairi's world?" Sora continues, all of the doubts he's had about the vessel popping into his mind like a factory of uncertain jack-in-the-boxes. "And are you _sure _a dinky wooden raft can take us away from here, or are you just saying that because you think it's…"

"_Enough_, Sora," Riku says, nearly hisses in fact, with finality. He is no longer leaning casually against the palm trunk, but stands facing Sora and Kairi, his eyes hard with either determination or rage. "We're getting off this world, we'll find Kairi's home, and if the raft can't do it, we'll find another way! I _promise _you that."

All is silent for a few moments as the two boys stare at each other intensely, Riku's eyes seeming to dare Sora to express another doubt. Sora says nothing, and eventually Riku breaks his stare and returns to his previous, relaxed stance.

"So, what will we do, then?" Kairi asks after a moment, breaking the silence with an innocent sounding question. "On another world I mean. Do we just explore it, or…"

"Not sure," Riku answers, his voice indicating that it's a very good question, an almost complete tonal flip from his snapping at Sora earlier. "In fact, I actually think that it isn't important what we find out about other worlds. Just as long as we get off this one."

"What's so wrong with this world, though?" Kairi asks, leaning forward and folding her hands together. "I like it here. It's our home."

"It's so small though," Riku replies in a near-whisper. "So small and isolated, surrounded on all sides by the ocean… Too small for me, I think."

Silence reigns another minute, and Riku is the one to break it this time.

"I've been thinking a lot about why we're here," the older boy continues, sounding spacey as he gazes out into the sunset. "Why this island, why us? Why me? I could have just as easily ended up anywhere else in the universe, all of us could have. So, really, I just have to know."

"You've thought a lot about this, huh?" Kairi says in a low voice, as if she's afraid that speaking too loudly will pop whatever bubble Riku is currently residing in.

"For quite some time now, actually," Riku answers, a grin popping up on his face. "Maybe ever since you came to the islands, Kairi, from wherever you used to be. The night of the meteor shower." He turns to her, his smile becoming even more pronounced, his eyes sparkling somehow. "In a way, you're the inspiration for all of this. You're _my_ inspiration."

The quietness that results from those words weighs somehow heavy on the other two. The dark feeling from earlier and the light feeling that Kairi brings are colliding in Sora now, as he watches Riku look at her. He can only dart his gaze back and forth from Riku, who looks more content now than Sora can remember seeing him in a long while, and Kairi, who seems almost unsure, the small smile on her face a bit unsteady.

Kairi, meanwhile, just can't help but want that look off of Riku's face. "Thanks, I guess. Or, you're welcome. Whatever, I guess."

A yawn bursts from Sora's mouth, and he almost isn't sure whether it's real or fake. He rolls with it though, hoping to break up the awkwardness. "Man, I'm beat. I think it's time to head in, before I fall asleep right on this palm tree!"

"Yeah, I'm pretty tired too," Kairi agrees, her voice shaking a bit. "Long day, lots of activity."

"Okay then, if you guys are going, so am I," Riku says, pushing off from the trunk of the palm tree. He offers his hand up to Kairi, who takes it and lets the older boy help her down. Sora just jumps, no assistance required or wanted.

Kairi takes off briskly down the bridge, her shoes clacking softly as she crosses it. Sora moves to follow her, but Riku holds out his arm and stops him from moving any further.

"You go on ahead," Riku explains when Kairi turns back to see why her friends aren't following. "Sora and I have, uh, guy stuff to talk about. We'll catch up in a minute. Promise."

Kairi nods and turns to walk away, rolling her eyes to herself as she does so. Boys, huh?

"What is it?" Sora asks, taking a step back, suddenly uncomfortable.

"I've got something to show you," Riku kind of explains, shouldering past his friend and heading for a nearby coconut tree. He crouches down, and while Sora cannot see, appears to grab something hidden behind its trunk.

He returns to Sora, holding a yellow fruit shaped like a star in his hand. It's about the size of his palm, and while Sora vaguely recognizes it as a fruit he's seen before, he's unsure just what it is.

"I take it you have no clue why I have this, huh?" Riku asks, bemused. Sora shakes his head in the negative. "It's a paopu fruit. You know the legend, right?"

Suddenly, the knowledge floods into Sora's mind. The legend of the paopu fruit states that…

"If two people share a paopu, then their destiny's become intertwined forever," Riku explains. "No matter where they go, or what they do, they're connected."

"I remember now," Sora says quietly. "We learned about this legend in school, on Valentine's Day a few years ago. It's just a legend though, right?"

Riku shrugs, a bit of a grin on his face. "Maybe."

Sora is super unsure of what to say now, with Riku looking at him the way he is and offering a destiny-intertwining fruit. Riku is a good friend, and always has been, but Sora definitely doesn't…

"I figured you'd want to test it out with Kairi," Riku says, mercifully breaking up his best friend's thought progression.

Unfortunately, he's also managed to throw him into an entirely new, almost as terrifying one.

"What makes you think…? Me and Kairi…? Kairi and I are just, we…"

"Relax, Sora," Riku chuckles lowly, smirking. "You don't have to freak out so much, I was only kidding. Gee, man, you seriously need to calm down!"

Riku's chuckle becomes a full-bodied laugh, and he walks away still laughing, placing the paopu fruit in Sora's hands as he does so.

Sora stares after him for a full minute, eyes narrowed and cheeks red.

"What is that guy's problem?" he says aloud, switching his indignant glare to the fruit resting in his hands. "How could he even…?"

Sora suddenly stops, his mind confused but nevertheless full of memories that he and Kairi have shared, the feeling in his stomach when she laughs with him or looks at him. Perhaps Riku has a point, and all this time, all of his life he's just been…

"Nah!" he says, tossing the fruit away, not giving one single hoot where it lands. What was he thinking? He must be extremely tired,he realizes as he nearly stalks across the wooden bridge back to the beach, to have entertained such a thought.

Kairi is his friend, nothing more, and that isn't going to change any time soon.

In fact, if Sora has his way, nothing will ever really change. Not him, not Kairi, not Riku, not _anything _in his life will change one bit.  
**  
KH-KH-KH**

Nothing ever really changes in Disney Castle, Telary muses to himself as he walks through the gardens briskly, the hem of his blue wizard robe with white star-patterns trailing along behind him. The sun is not even fully up yet, just peeking over the horizon and tinting the sky a pleasant orange. Telary has read, however, that early morning walks help one maintain one's magical balance, connecting the mage with the energies of the sun. Whether or not it is actually a true fact, or just something someone made up to sell magic books, it sounds mystical enough, and no way is Telary going to pass up an opportunity to work on his magical balance.

Telary is eighteen, and an apprentice wizard with the Disney Castle Mage Corps. This is a very fancy title for a group that really only exists to give Master Donald a seat at council meetings. There's really only one official member after all, with Telary technically a part of the group as a trainee.

For two years now, ever since his early graduation from the school down in Mouseburg just beyond the castle walls, he has been learning the practice of the mystical arts from Donald Duck, Head Magician of Disney Castle and close personal friend to King Mickey. The first year was full of fairly intense magical study and practice, and Telary is certainly proficient now in quite a few spells. The second year, however, has so far involved less studying of the mystical arts, and more doing whatever it is Donald orders him to do.

The wizard has repeatedly attempted to explain away the menial tasks as beneficial to one's connection with magic, but Telary has figured out for himself that Donald just likes to have an errand boy. You don't graduate a year early while doing several other student's homework in addition to your own without being intelligent.

The boy is content to serve however, until the day that Master Donald sees fit to elevate him to full Court Magician status. He still fulfills several daily duties, such as recharging the magic of the mop servants, and the occasional special request from Master Donald, such as waking him up this morning so he could sneak off into town to get a birthday present for his girlfriend Daisy, which he had forgotten about until Telary reminded him before bed last night. He'd taken Goofy, Captain of the Disney Castle Guard Corps, which is actually a real organization with about half-a-dozen members, with him, and had assured Telary he'd be back before Daisy awoke.

Feeling a bit peckish after his stroll, Telary heads down into the castle's main kitchen, where several cooks are already hard at work on the day's breakfast.

He snags an apple from a fruitbowl, but before he can bite into it, a tap on his shoulder sends him spinning around.

"I'm sorry I thought it was okay to take I'll pay you back I swear!" he blurts at breakneck speed to the small rabbit cook before him.

"Relax," the cook says in a surprisingly deep voice for such a little guy. Then again he might not actually be as small as Telary thinks, considering the boy is even a few feet taller than Captain Goofy, not even counting the few spikes in his otherwise close-cropped red hair. Anyway, the cook is carrying a tray covered by a silverbowl, under which is presumably some kind of breakfast dish. "You can eat whatever you want. But first, you gotta bring King Mickey his breakfast."

Telary sighs in relief at not being considered a dirty lowlife thief. Then he realizes that he has basically just been give an order by a kitchen hand. "Um, I'm sorry, but that's not really my job, actually," he points out sheepishly, trying hard to keep his voice from shaking. "I mean, that's probably something you'll want a mop to do."

"Look, pal," the kitchen staffer says indignantly, pointing a furry white finger up at Telary's face, "there aren't any mops around, and you're just standing there, swiping fruit from the kitchen. So are you gonna take this tray up to the king, or am I gonna bash you over the head with it?"

Telary thinks for a moment that the tiny cook couldn't possibly even reach his head to bash it with the tray, but decides not to argue the point. He just takes the tray in his own arms and heads for the stairs to the colonnade.

It's beginning to become apparent to Telary that he might have a problem with letting others push him around, and he's not entirely sure what to do about it.

The walk down the colonnade is pleasant though, even burdened as the boy is with the tray of food. Red rugs run continuously down a hall coated in plush blue carpeting, and large windows along the wall to Telary's left let in the light of the morning sun.

He passes a mop servant that he could hand off the delivery task to, but decides to press on, as he enjoys the king's company. King Mickey is, in fact, maybe the only person besides his wife the queen to really appreciate Telary's efforts around the castle.

Telary finally reaches the door to the throne room, a massive blue construction not really suitable for any of the folk of Disney Castle. He doubts that anyone, save Willy the giant, who is apparently related to the original carver of the thing, could even attempt to open it.

Luckily, there is another way in, and Telary raps on the door in the right spot, causing the inset normal sized door to swing open. Normal sized for a regular inhabitant of the castle, anyway. Telary still has to duck a bit so as to not bump his head.

He keeps his head bowed in deference as he walks down the long red carpet, contrasted nicely against the white marble of the main floor. He knows that at the end of the carpet is a raised platform also done in red, on which rest two thrones: One for King Mickey, and the other for Queen Minnie.

"Good morning, Your Majesty," Telary says as he enters, loudly so that his voice will carry all the way to the other end of the chamber. Like the door that leads into it, the Royal Audience Chamber is almost comically too large for a world that boasts such generally short inhabitants. "I was in the kitchen and decided to bring up your breakfast. Well actually this really grumpy rabbit ordered me to, so…"

The fact that the king has not yet said anything in greeting, or indeed made any noise at all, is putting Telary off a bit, but then who is he to question the noise level of royalty? The silence does make him nervous, however, so he decides to fill it with a bit of babbling.

"Now, when I said grumpy, don't think I meant he was, like, unreasonably angry or anything," he continues, unwisely breaking the filter between his brain and his mouth completely. "So there's no need to like, call human resources on him. Though really it is none of my business at all who a king can or cannot call upon HR to investigate. Just don't feel the need to do it on my behalf or anything, Your Majesty."

By now he realizes that he has reached the end of the carpet, and one step up will take him up onto the raised throne platform. He knows, according to the Official Book of Court Etiquette in Disney Castle, which he makes sure to reread once a year just to freshen up on, despite the fact that no one else really seems to follow the rules set forth in it, that he cannot step onto the platform without express royal permission.

But in light of the King's almost unnatural silence, he's almost willing to try. Almost.

Instead, to err on the side of caution, he merely raises his head. When his eyes arrive at two empty thrones, he gasps in surprise.

Telary knows for a fact that King Mickey has taken his breakfast in the Royal Audience Chamber nearly every morning since he can remember, and so he had just assumed that his orders were to bring the tray here. But what if he made a mistake, and King Mickey is in fact still in his bedroom, or in the library, and what if by the time he figures out where to actually go the food is cold and…?

"_BARK!_"

The noise that pierces the veil of silence in the air is fearsome to Telary's ears, and he cries out in alarm, even as the silver breakfast tray falls from his fingers. Miraculously it lands very graciously, with nary a thud and nothing spilled. The lid isn't even disturbed. It's really the only spot of good luck Telary is going to have all day.

Telary frantically searches the room for the source of the noise, and finds it in moments. Pluto, a large yellow dog that King Mickey has called his companion for far longer than Telary can remember, emerges from behind the king's throne, black ears drooping besidehis head. Clutched in his mouth is something flat and cream colored. It is most definitely not this morning's Mouseburg Gazette.

Cautiously, making sure not to trip on the still lidded tray, Telary steps onto the throne platform without express permission for the first time in his life. Slowly he reaches out a hand towards Pluto, and the dog drops what it has in its mouth. An envelope, to be sure, sealed with the king's personal seal.

Telary crouches to the floor and, arm still extended as far as it can go, tentatively picks up the letter. Rising back up to his full height, he contemplates the envelope in his hand. Should he open it? His first impulse is to give the envelope to Master Donald, but with both him and Captain Goofy gone, the only true authority figure left is Queen Minnie, and she's still in her bedchamber! Telary knows that, no matter how urgent the situation may turn out to be, he could never go into the queen's private rooms.

After a few seconds, an idea sparks in Telary's mind. Certainly he can't go into the queen's chambers, but he definitely knows someone just surly enough to try.

The castle gym is definitely not a place that Telary finds himself at very much. Physical fitness is all well and good, of course, but Telary's methods of staying in shape tend more towards eating strictly and making sure to take walks. In fact, even a lot of the knights of the Disney Castle Guard Corps tend to not spend much time down there. Often when asked, they would reply "Too many stairs," which is probably not going to give anyone a glowing opinion of the DCGC. Their position and duties are mostly ceremonial, however, so really physical fitness is not a major requirement.

Tell that to the single sixteen year-old apprentice currently in the DCGC Knights of Tomorrow program, who spends so much time down here that it is perhaps a bit unhealthy, an unusual fitness center irony. Mornings before school, afternoons just out of school, even occasionally in the middle of the night, Azlyn seems determined to spend every free minute down in the gym.

Telary can hear her now as he steps through the door into the large room, divided into three sections. The whole floor is unlit with the exception of the back left corner, where Azlyn is going at it with a punching bag.

She looks to be in the zone as Telary approaches her, her blue tank top's back soaked in sweat, likewise the back of her close-cropped, pixie-cut blonde hair. She goes at the bag with a series of three jabs, takes a step back, and then repeats. Every third repetition, she adds in a kick, just to mix things up.

Unwisely, Telary steps up on the mat. Azlyn instantly detects the shift in weight, turns, and without thinking lets loose a jab.

Straight to the young apprentice mage's nose.

"Yowza!" he cries, clutching his face even as blood begins to stream down it. The envelope is luckily spared a bloody bath by him dropping it to the ground. Soon enough he finds himself joining it, tripping over his robe and falling back-first onto the thankfully cushioned mat.

"Whoa, Telary!" Azlyn cries out, taking a step back and panting heavily, the exertion of her exercises catching up with her. "Watch what you're doing. Next time I might hit you someplace worse!"

"Worse dan my node?" Telary asks through the hands cupping his mouth, voice distorted by the pinch he's giving his nose to keep the blood in.

"Oh, here ya go," she says, grabbing a white towel from a rack nearby and throwing it to the mage-in-training. He catches it and immediately puts it to use. Azlyn crosses her arms and glares down at him. "Big baby."

"Whadda I doo?" Telary asks. "How can I maeg id stop?"

"I don't know, Tel," Azlyn replies with major sarcasm-voice, "whatever could a magician do to heal one of his injuries?"

"Oh, ride," Telary says sheepishly. "Cure!" A green light appears over him, and in seconds the bleeding is stopped and his nose rests completely straight.

While this is going on, Azlyn notices the letter Telary dropped, and notices the seal it's emblazoned with even more.

"What's this?" she asks, turning it over in her hand. "Where'd you get it? Why is it so wet?"

Telary answers his friend's questions in order as he gets back to his feet. "A letter from the king that I don't know the contents of, I found it in the throne room, it's damp because it was in Pluto's mouth."

"Yuck!" Azlyn says. She and the king's pooch have a bit of an unpleasant history. "What was that mutt doing with a letter from the king in his mouth?"

"I don't know, actually," Telary admits, sniffing deeply just to make sure his nostrils are in good working order, unfortunately picking up the sweaty scent of the exercise complex as well. He grimaces. "I'm not about to open something so official looking without royal permission. Who knows what kind of…? AZLYN, STOP!"

The mage-in-training lunges forward, but the apprentice knight easily sidesteps, tearing open the envelope with the nails of one hand. She extricates the letter within, written out in King Mickey's neat script, and begins reading. About halfway through, Telary lunges for her again, but she already has one hand up to block him. He pushes against her, but her stance is strong, and her arm has reaped the benefits of so many hours training, proving all of his efforts useless.

"Oh man, Telary!" she exclaims when she's done reading the letter, letting up the pressure on his chest. "This is serious. Like, _really _serious. Oh, wow!" Telary honestly isn't sure whether she is alarmed or just excited.

"Well if it's serious as all that," Telary says, snatching the letter from his younger friend's now relaxed grip, "then you see why we have to bring it to… Queen Minnie!"

"Are you kidding?" Azlyn asks condescendingly, a hungry look already invading her eyes. "This could be our big chance to prove that we're worthy of graduating from apprenticing! We can't tell anyone about this!"

"But… Master Donald!"

"Oh, let that old quackbag stay in the dark for once," Azlyn replies dismissively.

"Captain Goofy!"

"Oh, please, he's about as qualified to do real knight duties as I am to be a beautician."

"Lady Daisy!"

"What's she gonna do? C'mon, Telary, I think you're losing it here!"

"Trust me, you'll be losing something," comes a squeaky voice from behind, as unmelodious as… As a quacking duck.

Azlyn whirls around to see that Minnie, Donald, Goofy, and Daisy are standing just on the edge of the mat. The queen looks concerned, Goofy just sort of seems sad, and Donald Duck has his arms crossed, foot tapping impatiently, and a look in his eyes that suggests trouble is coming.

"Oh," Azlyn breathes, her cheeks reddening quickly. "Uh, hello everyone! I think I have something that uh, that you all should see!"

It's all Telary can do to keep from fainting from the tension.


	2. The Inevitability of Change

Sora is late when he finally reaches the shores of the play island in the rowboat he borrowed from his mother. Like, really late. He hastily leaps up onto the wooden dock that juts out into the ocean, nearly losing his balance and crashing back into the drink in the process. Luckily, he is able to maintain his footing, and ties the boat to the dock with a long piece of rope, attached to the small vessel on the other end.

When he's finished, he straightens up from his crouching position and turns to observe his island. Riku and Kairi are nowhere to be found, which is unsurprising. He's running _really_ behind this morning.

"Hello there, Sora," says a young female voice off to Sora's left. The boy turns to see Selphie, a girl Tidus's age who can be just as much of an annoying brat, only made worse by the fact that she's a girl and thus exempt from the same harsh retaliation he can give the young boy.

"Uh, hi Selphie," Sora replies, giving her a little half-wave. "How are things?"

"Just fine, thanks for asking," the girl replies, standing up from where she had been sitting with her legs dangling off the dock over the water. She is wearing an orange sundress, her hair long with several braided strands. "Still working on that raft today?"

"Sure are," Sora answers, nodding in confirmation. "Just running a little behind is all. Hey, have you seen Riku or Kairi?"

"Oh, yes," she replies with a giggle, setting off something suspicious in Sora. "They arrived here together, on the same boat. Then they went… Somewhere."

"Where?" Sora asks, already preparing himself to play whatever game he knows the girl has in mind.

"Okay, I'll tell you," Selphie teases with another high-pitched, obnoxious giggle. "But first, I need you to tell me a little something."

"What?"

"Are you really in love with Kairi?" The girl springs up now, crowding into Sora's personal space and causing him to stumble back a step. "Have you always loved her? Are you jealous that she's with Riku so much nowadays? Are you jealous that they came here together? Conversely, could it be possible you're in love with Riku? Gay guys are so…"

"Stop right there, Selphie!" Sora demands, definitely not in the mood to hear a million questions about his love life with _Riku_, which is non-existent, just to be clear! "Kairi and I are good friends, and that's it. I am not in love with her, and I honestly don't care at all if she spends time with my other best friend. And the same goes for Riku, but double!"

"Sure thing, Sora," Selphie says with an air of brushing him off, backing up a step and crossing her arms over her chest. She seems a lot less like an annoying child now. "You can deny your feelings for Kairi, or Riku, or hey, even _both _of them, if you want, but sooner or later you won't be able to. That's just a fact."

"You wanna know what else is a fact?" Sora blurts angrily. "I'm walking away right now! I'll find my friends on my own!"

"You can't deny it forever,Sora!" Selphie continues calling, even after Sora is off the dock and into the beach sand. She yells a few more things after him, but at this point Sora has stopped listening.

He realizes that he needs a drink, and so heads up the beach and into a little patch of jungle foliage, just beyond which is a waterfall that runs out of the island's main cliff and into a pool of clean drinking water.

He stands in front of the pool for a moment, examining his reflection. Today he's decided to wear his red shorts jump suit, which Kairi has mischievously called a romper before despite his protests, with his black hoodie with short white sleeves over it. His brown hair is done up in his traditional spiky style, and his crown pendant, a gift from his mother from several years ago, hangs from the chain around his neck. He fiddles with the blue belt hanging loosely around his torso for a moment, making sure it is hanging just right, then bends down, cups his hands, and takes a drink from the pool.

The water is crisp and clear, refreshing him. After a moment he returns to his feet, taking a look around the small clearing.

He finds his gaze resting on the largest tree on the island, a behemoth that seems to be growing straight out from the cliff. At the bottom, its massive roots are poking out, just far enough apart to allow access to the cave under the cliffs, a place known well by the local kids to be haunted.

For a moment he just stares at the cave entrance, feeling a little creeped out, which is actually not a bad replacement for the off feeling that Selphie's interrogation had given him. Was Selphie just being dumb, or did the people of the islands really think he had more-than-friends feelings for Kairi? And more pressing than that, could they perhaps be right?

A noise from behind, the brush rustling at the clearing's entrance, cuts off Sora's train of thought. He turns to see Wakka, a boy his age, emerge into the clearing, dressed in a faded sleeveless yellow shirt and yellow sweatpants. A large headband circles his head just under his towering spikes of red hair.

"Hey, Sora," Wakka greets him nonchalantly. The boy has always been very chill, never making fun of the raft plan even once. "Can't find Riku and Kairi?"

"Uh, no, not really," Sora answers. "I was running late this morning, so…"

"Well, I think they were headed for the cove," Wakka says, scratching his chin. "They arrived together in Riku's boat, y'know."

"Yeah, Selphie told me," Sora says, a little annoyance creeping into his voice at the mention of that infuriating little girl.

"Whoa, man, chill," Wakka encourages him, holding up his hands in an almost defensive gesture. "It looked completely platonic from where I was standing."

"Huh?"

"Riku and Kairi," Wakka explains. "They looked the same as ever, just friends. No need to get jealous."

Jealous!

"I'm not jealous, Wakka!" Sora protests, annoyed that he has to have this same conversation over again, especially with someone like Wakka, whom the boy had considered so wise. "I'm not interested in Kairi like that, and I don't know why everyone seems to think I am!"

"Hey, man, chill out!" Wakka defends himself. "I was just saying. I'm, uh, I'm sorry I assumed so quickly. It's just, y'know… Actually, y'know what, never mind. Not my business."

"It sure isn't," Sora agrees, stalking out of the clearing. After a moment he stops though, feeling bad about how dismissive he had been. "Sorry about that Wakka. Thanks for telling me where Riku and Kairi are."

"No problem, bra," Wakka assures him, turning to the pool and bending down for a drink.

It seems to Sora now that things are worse than he had previously thought. If even Wakka, one of the most sensible and mature kids on the islands, thought he had feelings for Kairi, then how could he ever hope to escape it?

Then again, he may have a point, and if enough people believed it to be true, then they must have some sort of evidence to base their assumptions off of…

With a shake of his head, Sora clears those thoughts out. Even if there is something between him and Kairi, now is most definitely not the time to pursue it, what with the raft trip coming up and everything. He'll take the time to sort out his feelings for Kairi once the trio have returned from their voyage.

There will be plenty of time then, after all.

He finds Riku and Kairi just where Wakka had said they would be, in the Destiny Island's cove. There's a small sandy area by the ocean proper, and that's where the pair are, along with the raft, talking something over.

"Hey guys!" Sora greets, waving at the pair. They both turn to him and wave back, but from the weary looks on their faces, it's obvious that they've just come out of a very intense discussion, a notion that has Sora worried. "What's going on?"

"We're talking about names for the raft," Riku explains, quelling some of the tension in Sora's chest. "We can't seem to agree on a good one."

"Any thoughts of your own, Sora?" Kairi asks, leaning against the raft's mast with her arms folded.

Sora stops for a moment, giving the matter some thought. "Uh, well, what did you come up with?"

"I want to name it _The Highwind_," Riku says, a confidence in his tone that implies he thinks _The Highwind _is the greatest, coolest name ever to grace the high seas. "But Kairi doesn't like it! Not that she's come up with any better suggestions."

Kairi just shrugs.

"Well, uh," Sora says slowly, taking a moment to think carefully about his choice of name, "aren't ships usually named after, like, ladies? So, we could do something with that, call it something like, uh, call it _The Shera_!"

This prompts a round of laughter from his friends. Riku actually looks like he's about to fall over from the force of it.

"What?"

"People do often name ships after women, Sora," Kairi concedes through her chuckling.

"But I'm pretty sure those women aren't their _grandmothers_!" Riku finishes, laughing hysterically.

Sora's cheeks are red with embarrassment now, but he decides to stand his ground. "Yeah, well at least my name _means _something! It's not just something I pulled out of nowhere!"

"You know, you're right, Sora," Riku concedes, wiping away a tear from his eye. "And you deserve a chance to prove it."

"Oh, brother!" Kairi exclaims as she realizes what is going on. "Every time you boys disagree, you have to do this."

"It's tradition, Kairi," Sora says simply, as he's now caught on too. "Can't deny tradition."

"I guess not," she sighs, a small grin creeping onto her face. "So, then. Usual terms?"

"Yep," Riku agrees.

"Fine by me," Sora confirms.

"I'll go get the swords for you then," Kairi sighs, pushing off the mast. "Which is really kinda sexist, actually, but whatever. Be back in a minute."

As soon as Kairi is out of earshot, Riku steps closer to Sora. "Hey, how about we make our own deal?" he says in low tones.

"What did you have in mind?" Sora asks, a bit concerned with something odd he's registering in Riku's voice.

"Winner gets to share a paopu with Kairi," Riku says simply, stepping back and crossing his arms across his chest.

This takes Sora aback. He thought they had put the matter of fruit-based destiny entwining to rest last night! What is Riku doing bringing it up again now?

Before Sora has a chance to answer, Kairi returns, one sword in each hand.

"Now I want a good, clean fight, ya hear?" she says in her best announcer voice as she hands each boy their weapon of choice. "No funny business, yeah?"

"No funny business," Riku promises. Sora just nods and grunts.

"Well then, on the count of three, go at it!" Kairi says, taking several steps back. "But remember to be careful! I don't want to have to make a raft trip with two boys who have bruised spleens!"

"Last chance on that offer, Sora," Riku says with a smirk. "What's it gonna be?"

Madness or not, Sora knows that he can't just let Riku get away with all of this mean-spirited taunting, and so he decides that it's time to take the plunge.

"You're on!"

"One!" Kairi calls from the sidelines.

Both boys get into their battle-ready stances, Sora dropping his knees and gripping his sword's hilt with both hands, Riku raising his weapon to his face in a one-handed grip, hand resting just by his cheek and blade pointed straight out. The free hand is clenched in a fist at his side.

"Two!"

Sora's determination to win has skyrocketed since accepting Riku's side wager, and now he knows that, regardless of his real feelings towards Kairi, he has to win now if he ever even wants a chance to explore them. Riku looks as calm and composed as he normally is, but Sora knows he wants it just as badly.

"Three!"

There is no immediate action from either of the boys, each instead choosing to wait and see what the other has in mind. Riku takes a half-step forward, but it's an obvious fake, and Sora hardly reacts.

They begin to circle each other after a moment, every step slow and cautious. Cautious seems to be the middle name of this fight.

"Uh, you guys realize that I said three, right?" Kairi asks, obviously impatient to see the actual combat begin.

Her voice distracts Sora for a second, and Riku takes full advantage of it, taking two steps forward and swinging once.

Sora barely manages to block the blow, and when Riku disengages he dances back too quickly for a retaliation. Sora's eyes narrow at the other boy, angry that he took advantage like he did. Still, he thinks, this is a battle. And a battle with high stakes at that. There's really no shame in using whatever methods one wishes.

Which is why Sora feels perfectly within his rights to strike out with his foot, kicking up a storm of sand to distract Riku. Stepping to the side of the flurry, Sora charges in with two steps, swinging each time his foot moves. Riku is not fazed, however, and blocks the second blow, which was the only one close enough to possibly hit.

It is at this moment that both boys realize that the time for dancing around each other and making clever strikes is over.

Riku's blade slips off Sora's, and he strikes at the younger boy's chest. Sora manages to block the blow, then swings his own in retaliation.

Riku quickly gets his sword to blocking position, then strikes with his other fist, nailing Sora on the forehead. He steps back, crying out and trying to get his sword up.

Riku takes advantage of this too, swinging a blow right at Sora's chest, which connects with all the force intended.

Sora stumbles back from the force of the blow, and gets himself recovered, finding his footing once again.

He thinks he might hear Kairi calling something out behind him, but he's doing his best to keep that distraction out of his mind. Instead he just focus on Riku, who is back to circling and acting cautious.

Sora knows that the time for him to be cautious is over. He charges his friend, swinging his sword in a quick three-hit combination.

Riku steps back to dodge one blow, sidesteps to avoid the other, and then ducks as the third swing goes right over his head.

He retaliates with a punch to Sora's stomach, knocking the air out of the boy's lungs. That he follows with a two-swing combo, both hits taking Sora in the chest, causing him to stumble back.

Riku knows he has the advantage now, however, and presses it, swinging at Sora with another pair of hits. Sora takes one to the chest and blocks the other, leading the boys into a grapple.

Sora, now thoroughly disabused of the notion this has to be a fair fight, takes a kick at Riku's shin. The older boy seems to go with it, however, taking a knee and delivering another punch to Sora's gut. This he follows up with a sword swing to the knee, causing _Sora _to kneel down in agony.

Riku rises quickly and places his wooden blade's edge against Sora's bowed neck. After taking a moment to regain composure, Sora looks up.

"It's over, Sora," Riku says calmly, an odd bit of pity in his eyes. "I win, you lose. Time to give up."

Sora realizes that if he concedes now, Kairi is really lost to him forever as anything more than a friend. But, he also knows that there is nothing he can do. Riku is the victor, and so he deserves his prize.

"Okay, you win," Sora sighs, trying to keep the true hurt he feels from infecting his voice. "You get to name the raft."

"Good job, guys!" Kairi congratulates the pair, approaching them cheerily. Hearing her voice just causes hurt in Sora's heart now. "I mean, I still think you went way too far over something as dumb as the name of our raft, but…"

"Riku made a side bet, actually," Sora says as he rises to his feet, deciding he might as well rip off the bandage now, get it over with.

"Oh? And what was that?"

"Tell her, Riku," Sora sighs, bracing himself for what's to come next.

"Oh, yeah, that," Riku says, grinning a bit. "Sora and I also wagered that the winner gets to be captain."

Sora shoots an incredulous look at his friend, not really believing his ears. After all of that posturing, the intensity of their fight, _this _is what Riku considers important? Was everything he said about sharing the paopu a ruse?

"Too bad, Sora," Kairi consoles him. "I'm sure you would have made just as great a captain as Riku. Hey, do either of you want anything for those hits you took? I think I have something somewhere…"

"Sure thing, Kairi!" Riku agrees cheerfully. Their female friend walks away in search of medical supplies.

"Are you kidding me, Riku?" Sora bursts out as soon as the girl is out of earshot. "After everything you said about Kairi and the paopu, you just…"

"Hey, forget it, Sora," Riku chides him, looking him dead in the eye. "Just forget I ever said anything. I promise to as well." A grin spreads across his face. "As long as you agree to call me Captain Riku."

At this point, Sora is pretty much stunned out of his ability to protest. "Whatever you want," he sighs. "Captain."

"And don't you forget it!" Riku says, punching him playfully on the shoulder. "Now, c'mon, we've got a few last minute things to pick up before we set sail tomorrow. Now get to work!"

Sora watches Riku walk away, still utterly confused by the strange, tangled mess his life has turned into.  
**  
KH-KH-KH**  
_  
Dear Donald,_  
_  
If you're reading this, then I assume two things have happened: I have become no longer able to sit contented and watch the universe be thrown into chaos and ultimately destroyed, and thus have left, and that Telary brought it to you because you were out buying Daisy's birthday present because you forgot. In regards to the first part, I've been noticing lately that strange things are happening in the night sky: Stars are blinking out, one by one, with seemingly no rhyme or reason. But there is a reason, a terrible reason, and I've got no choice but to head out and investigate. There's no real reason to worry about me, though, as you very well know I can handle myself just fine. But I do need you and Goofy to head out and do something for me. Somewhere out in the universe, there is a key. The key to our survival. To find it, you'll need to go to Traverse Town and find a man named Leon, who should be able to point you in the right direction. I hope for everyone's sake that you can get it done quickly, because I tell you the universe is really running out of time. I have faith in you two, though, and I know you are equal to this task._  
_  
Sincerely,_  
_Mickey Mouse, King of Disney Castle_  
_  
P.S: You really can't go wrong with flowers and chocolates, pal! ;)_

Minnie, Goofy, Donald, and Daisy, members of the Royal Council all, have gathered in the castle library to look over the king's letter a few times and determine how best to proceed.

Azlyn and Telary have gathered behind the door of the library to eavesdrop. This does not sit well with the mage-to-be.

"Azlyn, we're gonna get…" He begins, before getting cut off by a violent shushing from his partner.

"I can't hear if you're gonna whine!" Azlyn complains, putting her ear back to the door.

Of all those gathered in the official meeting, Daisy seems most concerned, pacing back and forth across the room. Donald and Goofy each look solemn, and Minnie hasn't let the king's letter leave her queenly paw since she first read it.

"What does this all mean?" Daisy asks a bit frantically, stopping her pacing and addressing the queen, who has been her best friend since time immemorial. "What should we do about this?"

"Obviously," Minnie says evenly, though her eyes are watering a little, "we're just going to have to trust the king, and carry out his instructions."

"But, uh, wait a minute Your Majesty," Goofy says, a bit confused, which really is nothing new. "The king said we've gotta go to Traverse Town to get this here key thingy. I know we've got that there Gummi Ship down in the garage, but nobody's ever really flow nit."

"I've flown that thing in simulations a hundred times, you big palooka," Donald answers, a little brusquely. "I know how to handle her just right."

Outside the door, Telary recalls with a bit of uncharacteristic pride that it is in fact _he _who has the highest Gummi simulation scores in the castle, besting Master Donald in nearly every area. His reasons for not mentioning this are twofold: One, he doesn't like to brag, and two, it would probably give away the fact that he and Azlyn are eavesdropping on a private Council meeting.

"So that's settled then," Minnie says with a bit of forced cheer. "You two must go to Traverse Town and find this key."

"Then what, your majesty?" Donald asks. "The king doesn't say what we're supposed to do with the key once we've got it."

"I can only assume then that he wants you to find him afterwards," Minnie replies with authority. "And so you must. You two are the only ones…"

"Hold up a minute!" Azlyn interrupts, throwing the library door open and stepping inside. Telary follows behind her sheepishly, demurely waving to the assembled Council. "Me and Telary are the ones who found the letter! Shouldn't we at least get a chance to…?"

"If I remember correctly," Donald interrupts her, stepping forward aggressively, "it was just Telary who found the letter. And even if that had anything to do with this at all, that letter is addressed specifically to me, and names me and Goofy as the ones the king wants taking on this mission!"

"I know that, I heard it allthrough the door," Azlyn explains, not really helping her case with the eavesdropping mention. "And I'm not saying that we go it alone, but at least consider taking us along. We _are _your apprentices after all…"

"Exactly!" Donald chimes in, raising a feathered finger to the air triumphantly. "You are _apprentices_. Therefore, it is your job to do what we say, and we say _stay here_!"

"That's incredibly unfair!" Azlyn protests, also stepping closer to the mage.

"Well, tough. After all, neither of you have any real field experience…"

"How are we supposed to _get_ any if you keep us locked up in here?"

"Now, uh, Donald," Goofy tries to interrupt, approaching his counterpart, hoping beyond hope to stop things from escalating.

"Please, Azlyn, let's not make this any worse than it has to be," Telary says at nearly the same time, also approaching his friend in an attempt to defuse tension.

"Shut up!" Donald and Azlyn yell back at their partners derisively, neither one ready to back down.

"_Enough!" _Queen Minnie shouts, finally losing the composure that she has fought so very hard to maintain throughout this entire situation, ever since she read the letter.

Everyone in the room freezes, with the exception of the motion of every head in the room swiveling to face the mouse queen. Silence reigns.

Telary is trying very hard not to throw up. Thankfully for everyone in the room, he is succeeding.

"This is not what Mickey would want!" Minnie declares through the tears that have now begun to fall from her eyes. "All of this fighting and shouting, when there's an entire universe out there that's in crisis. Azlyn, Donald, the two of you should be ashamed of yourselves and the way you've acted!"

"Sorry your majesty," Donald apologizes, head bowed low.

"Yes, I let my anger get the best of me," Azlyn says, following suit with the head bowing. Unfortunately, she's a rather single-minded girl, and in seconds her head is up once again. "It's just that I…"

"That's enough," Minnie says simply, leaving no room for discussion. "Despite your arguments, Captain Goofy is ultimately in charge of what activities you do or do not pursue, and I believe that he wishes for you to stay with us at the castle."

"Uh, well..." the captain begins, but a harsh look from Donald sends whatever he was about to say straight back up his throat. "Yes, your majesty. Azlyn should stay here and keep up with her studies, ahyuck."

"Then that's that," Minnie says with finality. "I appreciate your passion in this matter, Azlyn, as I am sure the king would too, but regrettably it will have to be channeled elsewhere. Please leave this library."

Azlyn knows that her chances in an argument are next to nothing, and so she finally wisely decides that it is over. Bowing her head once more, she slinks out of the library.

"I should, uh…" Telary begins, before just giving up, shooting everyone one last sheepish smile, and following after his friend, closing the door to the library behind him.

"Y'know, being honest, I was gonna ask Telary to come along with us," Donald sighs. "But if he wants to stay here with his friend…"

"Now, on to the matter at hand," Minnie says, steering the conversation back to its original course. "On your travels, you will see and experience many new things, and for the sake of posterity, I think we should keep a record."

"I dunno if I can find the key _and _write it all down at the same time, your majesty," Goofy points out.

"You can't chew gum and walk at the same time, ya big palooka!" Donald teases, crossing his arms derisively.

"I realize that you will be busy, and so I have decided to appoint a Royal Chronicler, who will have the task of recording what you find in other worlds," Minnie explains, pointing to a seemingly empty desk in the corner of the library.

Both Donald and Goofy are momentarily confused, until a closer look reveals a tiny green cricket, dressed in a vest, top hat, and tails.

"Jiminy Cricket's the name!" the tiny chronicler says by way of introduction. "And chronicling is my game!"

Out in the colonnade, Telary finally finds Azlyn, sitting cross-legged with her back against a pillar in the shadows. She looks more hurt and dejected than he has ever seen her.

"Hey," he says in a low voice, hoping to project a calm air. "I'm really sorry about what happened back there. I know things didn't work out like you wanted them to, but…"

"But it's over," the knight-in-training sighs, placing her chin on her fist, eyes cloudy. "My one chance to be a hero is finished, and it didn't even get started."

"C'mon now," Telary says, crouching beside the girl. "You know that's not true! In just a few more years you're going to graduate to full Knight, and then…"

"Then nothing, Telary!" Azlyn interjects, voice full of hurt and anger. "Nothing has happened in this whole stupid world since before we've been in the castle. The guards are basically for show, everybody knows it."

Telary is hard-pressed to argue with that point. Nothing has truly threatened the castle in years, and any problems that occurre down in Mouseburg are dealt with by their own security forces, or the vigilante Darkwing Duck. Mostly the Disney Castle Guard Corps just stand around and look watchful.

"I'm gonna be stuck standing in corners at attention for the rest of my life, and there's nothing I can do about it."

"Don't say that!" Telary encourages. "You don't ever have to just resign yourself to things. Your life, your destiny, in the end you control it, no matter what! You get to say what happens to you."

Azlyn thinks that's a pretty rich pep talk coming from literally the biggest pushover she knows, but she's thankful for it all the same. Ever since she can remember, Telary has been there for her, encouraging her. It's a good feeling, knowing someone has your back.

"You're right, Tel!" Azlyn says, rising to her feet. "I don't have to sit back and accept things as they are! I can take control of the situation!"

"That's right!" Telary agrees, giving her a congratulatory tap on the arm. "You just go out there and decide your own destiny!"

"I will, Telary," Azlyn says with a grin that Telary fails to notice is considerably less than innocent."Believe me."

Telary is a smart boy, but in this moment, he has no idea just how dumb his actions have been. He's just happy to have helped out a friend.

That happiness definitely won't last for long, however.  
**  
KH-KH-KH**

This hunt has lasted too long.

It's been nearly an hour since Sora had stumbled upon two of the three mushrooms Kairi had tasked him to collect for tomorrow's journey, little trifles that would probably be enjoyed with caught fish for breakfast and then done with.

Still it's a mission that Kairi has given him, and he is determined to fulfill it to the very best of his ability.

Unfortunately, it currently seems that that ability is not quite enough for the task at hand.

He has returned to the waterfall and freshwater pool now, taking a rest and a few drinks before setting out on the next leg of his search.

It's then, however, that inspiration strikes, when a wind whistling through the clearing finds its way towards the low air pressure system of the cave beneath the cliff.

The cave that the local islanders called "The Secret Spot", despite the fact that literally everyone knows about it.

The name "The Secret Spot" is more derived from the mystery surrounding the cave than actual availability of knowledge of its location. Legends abound about its true nature, and what lies within: The Door With No Handle.

Sora thinks about this as he enters the cave, head ducked low so as to avoid giving himself a nasty bruise. The prevailing legend is that behind the door is the lair of a mysterious mage from ages past, who magically removed the doorknob just before he died, in order to keep its secrets hidden from the prying eyes of the public.

Despite it being made of simple wood, no one on the islands has ever even tried to knock it down by conventional means. Whether it's due to the spooky nature of its legends, or just out of sheer respect for old ghost stories, to this day the mysterious door remains unperturbed.

The walls around the door, however, have over the years become covered with the drawings of children who were not afraid of any old legends, and were really just yearning to make their own chalky mark on the history of the islands.

Sora and Kairi had been in here a few times as young children, and several drawings had been done by their hands. He had drawn a dragon and a group of knights, his style scribbly and messy in the way of a great number of five year old boys. She had contributed a castle, huge and well-detailed. When asked where she got the idea, Kairi had confessed that she had seen the castle in dreams several times, so much so that it simply felt familiar.

Just underneath those drawings are Sora's two favorite works of art in the entire world: Two portraits of him and Kairi, each done by the other.

They're just their faces in profile, facing each other and smiling brightly. Her likeness is messy, drawn by his hand, but his is fairly recognizable. Kairi has always had a bit of the spark of an artist inside her.

Seeing it now, though, brings a smile to his face. Come to think of it though, it might just be missing something, a minute detail Sora is sure will tie it all together.

Picking up a stray piece of chalk, he hastily adds in the detail. After it is finished, he sits back, admiring his work.

Behind him, wind howls into the cave, stronger than ever.

Startled, he rises from his spot on the floor of the cave. Turning around, his eyes darting from one end of the cave to the other, he looks for something that...

"This world has been connected," a deep voice, like something out of a nightmare, proclaims, and Sora swears he feels the temperature in the cave drop several degrees. "It is tied to the darkness. Nothing will escape it. Its end will be final."

"Who's there?" Sora demands with a bravado he isn't quite sure he feels.

"One who has come to see the door," the mysterious voice replies. Sora's eyes immediately dart to the mysterious wooden door, seemingly one with the backmost wall of the cave.

"Do you know what's behind there?" Sora asks.

"Of course, young fool," the voice spits back, offended by the question that Sora has put forth. "I know all about what lies beyond. I have seen it. I have seen many more things as well. Things you never will."

"You must be from another world," Sora declares with incredulity, still searching for the source of the deep voice. Out of the corner of his eye, he thinks he sees a figure clad in a dull brown robe, but when he whirls to face it, it is gone.

"Indeed," the voice answers, sounding pleased, almost gloating over the fact. "I know all, and you know so very little. A pity."

Sora's anger sparks again at the voice's words. "I may not know now, but I'm going to find out! I'm going to see other worlds, just you wait!"

"One who knows nothing can understand _nothing_," the voice gloats one last time, drifting away into an echo.

For whatever reason, something heavy in Sora's heart lifts, and he knows the voice is gone. Still, some part of him wants to search, find the source of that mysterious, condescending voice and…

Sora nearly steps on a mushroom.

Looking down, he can see the tiny bud of the thing, grown large in the darkness of the cave. Grinning, he kneels down and picks it up.  
_  
Finally!_ He thinks as he strolls out of the cave. Before he leaves though, he feels oddly compelled to take one last look at the mysterious door.

After examining it for a second, he merely shrugs and continues on his way out, wondering if anyone on the islands will ever learn the true origins of the mysterious door.

Back in the cave, the figure in the cloak returns, mulling events over for a few moments. So the boy Sora is not the one he sensed, the one who seems to be calling the darkness to these otherwise innocuous islands. He is too weak, as evidenced by the way his memories have been so easily obfuscated. He could never command that much Darkness.

Still, there was something odd about the boy. Something to do with his heart…

No matter. Clearly the boy is insignificant. The cloaked man doesn't figure he will last the night to come.

With a mere thought of his dark purpose, the man vanishes to seek out the true source of Darkness in Destiny Islands.

Somewhere in the cove, diligently working to string shells on a thin cord, Kairi feels a chill in her heart. It is so overwhelming that she nearly drops her project. It is a force unlike anything she has ever felt before.

It passes after a moment, but Kairi still thinks upon its echoes. What could possibly have been the cause of…?

"Hey Kairi!" comes Sora's cheerful voice, cutting through her contemplations. The girl looks up to see her friend marching toward her with pride in his step. Clutched in his hand is a bag, presumably full of the mushrooms she requested.

"Your hero has returned with his bounty!" Sora declares, holding up the bag before opening it to show her the trio of black mushrooms inside. "Good enough to eat, huh?"

"They certainly are," she agrees with a giggle. The task took him a bit longer than she had initially expected, but she is just glad to see him so happy. Especially after how moody he had been about losing the spar over the raft name. That had struck Kairi as odd, but perhaps the boy had just really wanted to be captain.

"So that's everything, right?" Sora asks her. "Are we good to go for tomorrow?"

"Sure are," Riku chimes in as he enters the cove, three fish each individually wrapped in newspaper in his arms. "Can you believe it? We're actually ready to do this thing!"

Kairi returns his smile. Seeing a look so free of worry on Riku's face is even stranger than seeing Sora upset nowadays. "I know. Want to celebrate tonight?"

"I'd love to," Riku answers, dropping his fish on the supply pile. "But I think I really just need to go home and pack things up. After all, don't want to miss anything!"

"That's right," agrees Kairi, who had packed yesterday. "It sure would stink to be out at sea without clean underwear. And I mean that literally."

The boys laugh, and it's good to hear it, as something heavy has been hanging over the pair for a few days now. Or maybe even longer than that, with Kairi just noticing recently. Who could fathom the emotional states of teenage boys, really?

"True, true," Riku agrees, still chuckling. "Anyway, I'd better go. See you two tomorrow. Bright and early!"

"Bright and early," Kairi repeats, grinning back at her older friend. "It'll be just like we all planned."

"Like we all _dreamed_," Riku corrects, his voice getting appropriately dreamier as he says it. He begins to walk away, before calling back to the pair he's left behind. "Don't stay out too late, you two. You'll need plenty of rest for tomorrow."

"Promise!" Kairi and Sora say at the same time. After a beat, they look at each other and giggle.

"Are you going to go home soon?" Kairi asks, sitting back down and returning to her work stringing shells.

"Uh, I'm not sure," Sora replies, sitting next to her on the deck of the still landlocked raft. "Why? Are you…?"

"Well, apparently in all of the excitement, Riku forgot that he's the one who gave me a ride this morning," Kairi answers, rolling her eyes. "So I'm pretty much stranded here without you."

"Oh," Sora says, thinking back to his feelings about Riku and Kairi's arrival in the same rowboat this morning. "Then I guess we'll go whenever you're ready. My parents didn't give me a curfew or anything tonight."

"But I assume you _do_ need to pack?" she asks teasingly, one eyebrow playfully raised at him.

"That's true," Sora answers sheepishly, blushing a bit. "I, well, kinda haven't even really thought about it yet."

"I'll be ready to go as soon as I finish this," Kairi tells him, returning her eyes to her work.

Curious, Sora scoots closer to her, craning his neck to see exactly what it is she's working on.

She looks up at him with a smile, sighs, and says, "Want to know what I'm working on?"

Sora nods vigorously.

"It's a necklace made of thalassa shells," she tells him, holding up the as yet unfinished work. "It's something sailors make. According to old ship legends, it's supposed to bring good luck to a sea voyage."

"Cool," Sora says, nodding. Kairi thinks for a second that he might just be saying that, but the look in his eyes tells her differently. It isn't one she gets from him often, but it's one she certainly appreciates when she does.

"I've been reading a lot of old sailor books, actually," she continues explaining, threading on another thalassa shell. "My dad keeps a bunch of that old stuff around, because my grandpa sailed." She knows that she should probably be adding the moniker "adoptive" to all her relatives, but that sort of thing only depresses her. Besides, adopted or not, they're really the only family she remembers having, so why should she have to put a caveat on her relationship with them? "This isn't the only thalassa charm I've made, you know."

"Oh, really?" Sora asks. "What else have you done?"

"Selphie said I could keep it in her boat," she explains. "After finishing it earlier today. As soon as this is done, I'll show you, okay?"

"Sure thing Kairi," Sora agrees with a grin and a dreamy air. "Anything you say."

So they sit on the deck of the raft for a good hour while Kairi maintains laser focus on her project. It's mostly silent, but Sora doesn't mind getting a chance to just enjoy his friend's company and watch the sun move through the sky.

"There, finished!" Kairi declares, holding up the completed strand. Maybe a dozen white shells are strung up on it, and it looks really beautiful, at least in Sora's estimation.

"Wow, Kairi," he says, inspecting it from a few more angles. "That's really beautiful. I bet it'll bring us a lot of luck on our trip."

"Yeah, I think so too," Kairi agrees, grinning back at him. After a moment, she rises. "C'mon, let's go get my other charm," she urges him. "Then I guess we can watch the sunset. That sound okay?"

The thought of watching the sunset with Kairi actually makes Sora's stomach give a little flip, but he just nods. Kairi offers down her hand to help him up, and he gladly takes it.

They walk in a companionable silence to the dock where Selphie, Tidus, and Wakka are all standing around. Selphie grins when she sees the pair walking towards them, and Sora braces for another onslaught of questions like this morning. Luckily, though, the girl actually keeps her mouth shut about it.

"I still have your charm," Selphie says, holding up something that Sora can see is kind of star-shaped in one hand. "Kept it safe, just like I said I would!"

"Thank you Selphie," Kairi says as she takes her charm from the young girl's hand. "I knew this would be safe with you."

"What is it?" Tidus asks, taking a step towards her and looking at the charm with interest.

"It's a special charm that keeps sailing parties together, no matter what," Kairi explains. "It's really a very important thing to have on a raft trip."

"I bet it is," Wakka says, putting one hand each on Selphie and Tidus's shoulders. "Well, I'll be there tomorrow to see you three off. For now, I have to get these two home like I promised their parents."

"Sure," Kairi says easily. "Are you two gonna be there when we set sail too?"

"You bet we will!" Selphie exclaims by way of promise.

"See you then, guys," Kairi says.

The three say goodbye and then ship off. Sora steps up beside Kairi and takes her charm into his hand, examining it with a critical eye. It really is just a bunch of materials molded together into the shape of a star. It looks okay, but it's definitely not the thing of beauty that Kairi has created with the rest of her thalassa shells.

"Do you like it?" she asks, nudging him with her shoulder.

"It's pretty good," he replies. After a moment, he looks up at her and grins. "But I don't think we'll need it. After all, what could separate you and me? And, well, Riku too, of course."

Kairi is quiet for a long couple of moments, then she sits down on the edge of the dock, feet dangling over the edge. Sora is a bit surprised that such a lighthearted comment has prompted such melancholy from his friend. After a moment of indecision, he decides that the best thing to do is to just sit down and try to talk to her.

"What's wrong?" he asks, nudging her shoulder with his. "Was it what I just said? Because if it was, I…"

"It wasn't you, Sora," she answers, still not looking anywhere but at the water and the setting sun. "Well, I guess it kind of _was _what you just said but… I think Riku is separating from us anyway."

"What?" Sora exclaims, absolutely shocked that Kairi would suggest such a thing. "I really don't know what you're talking about. Riku's the one who wants this raft trip, and not just because he wants to see other worlds, but also because he wants to be with us as much as possible, before…"

"Before he finishes school," Kairi completes, sighing. "Don't you see? That's what this all is. Riku thinks that if we go to another world, somehow he can convince us all to stay there. Just so he doesn't have to leave us. Doesn't have to grow up."

"But…" Sora tries to protest, but honestly he is hard pressed to deny it. "You may be right. But maybe not. I mean, Riku's a responsible guy, right? He always seems to do the right thing, even if…"

"Fear changes people, Sora," Kairi says. "Especially fear of the future. Riku isn't a bad guy, just…"

Silence reigns for a few moments as both teens contemplate what they are actually discussing. Just the thought of their good pal Riku being so scared and alone, without telling anyone, wanting so badly to escape his fate…

"Sometimes I wish _we _could just set sail now," Kairi says abruptly. "Just the two of us, without having to worry about…"

"What are you talking about?" Sora asks, turning to face her with a look of sheer incredulity on his face. "If we did that, we'd…"

"Riku would never recover, I know," Kairi sighs. "We'd lose him even worse than is already inevitable. Still, I just… To see him complicate everything with his stupid…" Kairi is silent for a minute, trying to retain composure. Eventually, she lets out a sigh and appears to calm down. "Sorry about all that. I don't know what just came over me."

"Me either," Sora agrees. Kairi looks at him for a second with pure shock on her face, and after a moment, he just smiles. "Kidding! Y'know, I think you're changing too, Kairi."

"Most people do, Sora," Kairi says, a small smile lightening up her face for a moment, before sinking back into a rigid line. "That's part of growing up, even when you accept it. It can be a good thing, though. Like, before, I was just going along with the raft idea because you and Riku seemed so excited about it. But now… Now I think I'm ready. To get out of here for a while, see a few new places, new worlds. Maybe I _will _even end up finding out where I came from. Who really knows? All I know is that now, I'm ready for the adventure."

"I'm glad, Kairi," Sora says, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I couldn't imagine this journey ahead without you in it. I always want to be where you are."

Kairi turns to look at Sora fully in the face, with a kind expression that seems to flow out from her eyes into her whole being.

"Don't _you_, ever change, Sora," she says after looking at him that way for nearly a full minute. "I think you're perfect just the way that you are."

Slowly, tentatively, Kairi leans forward and places a kiss on Sora's cheek. Her lips linger for perhaps ten seconds, and Sora thinks his heart might explode. She eventually pulls back, tantalizingly slow, then looks at him again, smiling once more.

"I just can't wait," she says slowly, turning back to face the horizon. "Until we set sail. It's going to be perfect."

If this moment is anything to go by, Sora thinks that the journey they are about to embark on together will be nothing short of magical.


	3. Fated Night

The magic is flowing in Telary's bedchamber tonight.

After all of the stress, anger, and sheer terror that today has seemed to bring on Disney Castle, the only way Telary can really cope with it all is by cleaning.

So, while he works on dusting the shelf containing his magic books, a magically driven broom, propelled by a similar spell that controls the movements of the castle's magic mop servants, works to dust up every scrap of dirt or lint on the floor.

Not that there even _is _much dirt or lint anywhere in Telary's bedchamber, considering that he cleans it at least once every two days, if not more, but it's the principal of the thing really.

As he works, he thinks about how sad it is about Azlyn's dreams were crushed like they were this afternoon. She really is a good, kind person underneath all of the bluster and bravado, and really deserves her happiness. He was very glad to see his pep talk helped somewhat.

Now if only he could just take his own advice, and maybe work up the courage to ask Master Donald when he might be ready to graduate to full Wizard status.

A knock on his door interrupts his train of thought, and the cleaning process. Putting down the rag he was dusting with, but leaving the broom to run its course, he moves to answer the door, humming to himself and wondering who could be calling at this late hour, especially since most of the castle's staff is busying themselves getting ready for Donald and Goofy's trip to Traverse Town and beyond.

It really shouldn't surprise him as much as it does to see Azlyn standing at the door.

She looks to be dressed for traveling. She's wearing a light blue, short-sleeved hoodie with a white zipper, a black camisole under that. Beneath the dark blue belt she's wearing is a light blue skirt that falls to just above her knees, with black tights running down the rest of her legs to her ankles. Her feet are clad in shoes that match her hoodie and skirt, black gloves with steel armored plating on the back cover her hands, and her short haircut is arranged so that her bags are swept to the right side of her face.

Most concerning of all, however, is the Disney Castle Guard Corps standard issue shield that is slung across her back.

Telary knows this can't be good.

"Let me in, quick, before somebody sees!" Azlyn demands, a threatening look in her eyes.

Bereft of other options, Telary steps back to let her enter. The broom keeps going in the background.

"Please, Azlyn," Telary begins, sitting down on his bed and rubbing at his temples, where he feels a major headache coming on. "Please, just tell me you aren't doing what I think you're doing."

"I'm determining my own destiny!" the knight-to-be exclaims, punching her friend playfully on the shoulder. "Just like you told me to do earlier today."

"And how, may I ask, are you going to go about this?" Telary asks, despite already knowing the answer, bracing himself for what's to come.

"I'm going to stow away on Donald and Goofy's Gummi Ship," she tells him, a grin that seems more like a smirk forming on her face. "And then I'm going to prove to them that I can handle myself!"

"Or show them that you can't follow orders and aren't to be trusted, let alone made a member of the Disney Castle Royal…"

"This is what I'm supposed to be doing, Telary," Azlyn interrupts. The apprentice mage looks up and sees that her eyes are practically on fire with her determination. "I just know in my heart that I can help out on this mission. So, despite destiny's attempts to sideline me, I'm going to take matters into my own hands. And…"

Here comes the part that Telary has been dreading most of all.

"…I want you to go with me," Azlyn says, looking at him with a smile set on her face. "I know you want to prove yourself as more than just an apprentice. Come with me, and help them see that…"

"I'm a rule breaker?" Telary protests, standing up and looking down at his younger, much-shorter friend. "That I throw tantrums when I don't get what I want, and disobey orders? Azlyn, I'm saying this because you are my best friend and I genuinely care about you. _Please_, just follow orders this one time. Please?"

For a few moments, Azlyn just stares at him, looks directly in his eyes, completely undaunted by the height advantage he has, his age, or the magical power he wields.

When she finally speaks, her voice is like cold steel. "I'm doing this, whether you follow me or not, whether you approve or not. This is what I _have _to do, Telary. I've never been surer about anything in my life. I was hoping you could come with me, but it doesn't actually matter, because I'm still going to do it."

She turns and begins to stalk towards the door. There is a bit of hesitation evident in her motions as she reaches for the doorknob, but after barely a fraction of a second, she sets her shoulders and walks into the hallway.  
She begins to walk down the hall with slow, subdued steps, not only to keep quiet and thus avoid detection, but also because, if her theory is correct…

"Azlyn, wait!" Telary hisses in a loud whisper. Azlyn allows herself a second to smirk satisfactorily before turning back to face Telary, expression carefully neutral.

His wizard robe is gone now, revealing his usual traveling attire of a white shirt with green sleeves that extend three-quarters down his arms. Over that is a yellow sleeveless hoodie with green zippers. His trousers are the same color as his shirt's sleeves, with a bit of yellow trim on the cuffs, and his shoes are yellow and green. Tucked into a makeshift holster on the side is his green and yellow mage's staff, a little brown wizard's hat carved at the top of it. He's also wearing fingerless white gloves.

"Okay, you've got me," he says as he approaches, looking nervous and avoiding eye contact. After a moment of courage gathering, though, he seems able to look her straight in the face. "I just want to be clear," he begins, trying to sound as steely as she did before, but unable to hide the light tremor in his voice, "that I definitely do not approve of this behavior, and the only reason I am going along with you plan is to make sure you don't have to face whatever punishment that you will deserve when you get caught, or reveal yourself. I am doing that because I care about you, and do not want to see you locked in a high tower, or cast into a dungeon dimension, for the rest of your life. Okay?"

She just looks at him for a moment, glad that her plan worked. Emotional blackmail and appeal to sense of friendship may not be the most honest tricks in the book, but she's glad they at least seem to have worked in this case.

Because, being honest, if Telary hadn't come out of his room, ready and raring to go as quickly as he did, Azlyn probably just would have returned to her own room, her entire crazy stowaway plan forgotten.

Telary doesn't need to know that, though.

"Glad to have you aboard," she says with a grin and a wink, before turning and slinking back down the corridor as stealthily as possible, glad to hear the quiet yet unmistakable footsteps of her best friend behind her.  
**  
KH-KH-KH**  
_  
"Take my hand, Sora," Riku orders, standing calmly even as a massive tidal wave bears down on the shore, threatening to sweep both he and Sora away._  
_  
Sora wants to warn him, wants to protest, but finds himself unable to speak, his mouth moving and his throat straining. In his head he screams and cries, but it is proven a useless effort. There is nothing he can do. What is happening is inevitable._  
_  
As the wave finally begins to crash down, Sora looks into and sees a terrifying sight:_  
_  
The wave has eyes. Bright yellow eyes that are fixed on him. Eyes that look hungry._  
_  
Then the wave hits, and all is blackness._

Sora jolts up in surprise, letting out a pained yell as he crashes back into the waking world. He looks around his room, glad to see that the familiar is still familiar.

He remembers he was packing, which explains the open suitcase at his feet, a few shirts laying in it next to a pair of boxers. He must have dozed off, had maybe gotten thinking…

Thinking about what Kairi said.

Actually, more thinking of what Kairi had_ done_.

He feels his cheek, pressing his hand right to the spot where her lips had touched his face. The ghostly feeling of them still remains when he concentrates on the spot. He is almost certain that he will be able to remember that feeling forever.

His first kiss, really, being technical. Other than those of his immediate family members, no lips have touched his face in the entirety of his sixteen years of life.

The pair hadn't talked about it afterward, and Sora had simply rowed back to the main island, where the pair had parted cordially on the dock, the kiss remaining undiscussed.

But it had to mean something, didn't it? It had to mean that somehow, on some level, Kairi had the same feelings for him he was sure now he had for her.

His insides should be on fire, his heart feeling light and free with joy, and in some small way all of those things were happening. But something else nags at him, casts a shadow on his happy feelings:

Riku.

What Kairi said about him makes sense, but there's something else she either fails to see or doesn't want to acknowledge.

Riku is in love with her.

In fact, part of Sora suspects that if it was Riku that she'd made her offer to sail away immediately, just the two of them, they'd be halfway to another world right now.

A bolt of lightning momentarily illuminates his room, overpowering the small lamp of his desk in the corner. It's only a few seconds later that a crash of thunder rumbles with the force of a hammer beating a drum. Sora doesn't count the seconds between the flash of the lightning and the roar of the thunder, his grandmother's trick for determining how close a storm is, but he knows that it cannot be far away.

Rising, he runs to his window, a spectacular view that affords him a direct look at the smaller island for play. The sky is dark, almost impossibly so, and Sora swears that if he squinted, he could see spots of deep purple in the dark skies above.

His first thought is of the raft, looking out at the ocean, which is beginning to get choppy. He fears that a wave could easily sweep in and destroy all of his friends' hard work.

There's no way that is happening.

Grabbing his white fingerless gloves and jamming them on his hands, pulling his jacket's hood up over his spiked hair, Sora lifts his window and moves out into the dark, stormy night.

Not far away, Kairi rises from her position laying on her bed, head turning to gaze out the window.

Part of her, a small voice in the back of her head, tells her that the raft may be in danger, but is overwhelmed by a much more powerful urge:

She must go to the island. Go to the door.

She rises, almost numbly going through the motions, knowing that her destiny is about to begin in earnest.

Riku is already on the island, boat tied to the dock. He has been for almost an hour, waiting for the inevitable to reveal itself, waiting for the true journey of his life to begin.

As he walks the beach, knowing that the place he has to go has been prepared, he pays no mind to the shadows that rise, give him curious glances with glowing but somehow empty yellow eyes, then realize that he is not to be touched.

After all, why would the shadows strike at the one who has called them to the islands in the first place?

And in the clearing that leads to the cave, the dark man arrives, content in the knowledge that all is as he has predicted.  
**  
KH-KH-KH**

The secret trek to the Gummi hangar is going much smoother than Azlyn had predicted it would. She had been prepared to duck out of sight, avoid the light thrown off by the lanterns of patrolling guards. Hell, she'd at least wanted to dive behind a statue!

Instead, the journey just sort of lamely consists of her and Telary walking down hallways very slowly.

"I honestly had higher hopes from the castle's guards than this," Telary whispers, maybe to himself and maybe to Azlyn, she doesn't know. He's been doing that for the entire trip, every minute or so muttering something like, "Oh, God, we are so going to get caught! They're gonna put us away forever, just like they did Captain Pete!"

Even though it had been reassuring that her friend was still behind her one-hundred percent despite the terror he felt, it was also pretty annoying.

"I told you that if I stuck around here forever, following orders, my life would go nowhere," she replies, hoping that maybe if they get an actual conversation going he'll stop with the terrified non sequiturs. "I wouldn't even patrol, just sit around in the guardhouse all day and play cards."

"Y'know, if by some freak chance this doesn't end up with you barred from ever becoming an actual knight," Telary says, "I'd hope you'd be the one to finally kick this force into real fighting shape. Or at least watching-the-hallways shape! I mean, honestly we should already be sentenced to life in prison by now! Not that I don't appreciate the lucky break, mind you."

Azlyn just keeps moving forward, still alert despite the continued non-presence of anyone that could threaten the pair's journey.

Until she hears Donald Duck's voice echoing down the hall towards them, that is.

"Goofy, where are you ya big palooka!" the duck quacks at the top of his lungs. "If I find you napping somewhere, you better believe you'll be sorry!"

Telary panics, of course, opening his mouth to scream before realizing that would not be the best possible course of action if he wishes to remain undiscovered.

Azlyn is ready for this eventuality, or at least her reflexes are, immediately sending her diving out of sight behind a pillar.  
"Telary!" she hisses, waving at him. "Get over here or you're gonna get caught!"

Still afraid, but glad to now have a plan, Telary quickly streaks behind a pillar of his own, just seconds before Donald, now mumbling angrily to himself about all the horrible things he would use magic to do to Goofy once he found him, comes around the corner.

After a moment, the duck stops dead in the middle of the hall, eyes darting back and forth.

Telary almost faints, but Azlyn just sucks in a nervous breath, as quietly as she can manage.

Things are tense for a few seconds while Donald continues to look around, but after a few moments spent examining the hallway, he sighs and moves on.

"I am being _serious_, Goofy!" he calls out as he continues down the hall, Azlyn watching all the while. After a moment he rounds a bend and is gone from sight.

Azlyn waits a few more moments, just to be safe, then slips out from behind the pillar. Moments later, Telary follows, though he catches his foot on the edge of it and sort of stumbles out into the hallway.

"That was close," he says almost without any emotion behind it, so great is his terror even after the minute or so since they first heard the mage's voice coming down the hall.

"Yeah, good thing your master is such a loudmouth," Azlyn says chuckling a bit at her good fortune, and to hide the fact that she's still coming down from the fear-fueled adrenaline rush of nearly being discovered. "And it's also working out pretty well for us that Captain Goofy likes naps so much. This gives us a lot more time than I thought we'd have. But only if we hurry, so c'mon!"

Their journey down the hall is much faster now, with Azlyn emboldened after their narrow escape from detection. Finally, they reach the castle garden.

Surrounded on all sides by immaculately sculpted hedges designed inexplicably to look like a group of animal's playing band instruments, in the middle rests a small model of the castle done all in shrubbery.

What most people aren't aware of is that this is not just a showy piece of hedging put together by the gardeners to impress the king.

It is also a secret back entrance to the hangar where the Gummi ship is stored.

"How do you know about this?" Telary asks as the pair move into the garden. "The secret entrance I mean? I mean, the only reason _I _know about it is that Master Donald and I use it to access the hangar because it's closer to his room than the main entrance."

"C'mon, Tel," Azlyn replies with a mischievous grin, moving not towards the castle hedge but instead to one that looks like a tuba-wearing pig. "Guard training involves more than just knowing how to punch stuff. Or, at least my own specialized brand of it does. Sometimes I sneak around to test my spying skills. Well, one day I just happened to be sneaking in the garden when Chip and Dale came out of that hedge."

"So, because you occasionally act like a sneaky spy with no regards to others' privacy, is what you basically mean?" Telary says in a tone of voice that practically screams _lecture_.

"Pretty much," Azlyn answers with a devilish grin as she pulls a cloth bag tied up with string out of the tuba shrub. She gives it a shake, and is rewarded with the sound of clinking coins.

"When did you hide that here?" Telary asks with a bewildered frown.

"Oh, a while ago, probably," Azlyn answers, smiling fondly at the bag.

"Why?"

Azlyn shrugs. "I guess I like to be prepared. You never know when you're going to need some emergency funds. I actually have bags like this hidden in places all over the castle."

"I'm actually not sure how I should respond to that," Telary says in bewilderment, rubbing his forehead in a display of incredulity. "But, whatever you feel you have to do, I guess."

"Life may be boring around here now, but that could change in a second," Azlyn says in her own, oilier sounding _lecture _tone. "So, I'm always prepared with some cash. You can never go wrong with munny." She places the bag in her hoodie's pocket and moves to the secret hangar entrance, reaching for the doorknob.

"Well, that's no attitude to have, now is it?"

"Well, gee Telary," the knight-in-training shoots back sardonically, "I'm sorry that I'm not the perfect person you expected me to be."

"Uh, Azlyn," Telary mutters. "I didn't say that."

Azlyn whirls on her partner, a shocked look on her face. "What do you mean you didn't…?"

"Down here!" the voice from before, definitely not Telary's, calls out from the grass directly in the middle of where Azlyn and Telary are standing.

Both of them look down slowly, squinting until their eyes fix upon a small, sharp-dressed figure, who is smiling up at them and looking back and forth from one to the other.

"Hey there, young'uns!" he greets, doffing his top hat and tipping it towards each of them. "Name's Jiminy Cricket, new royal chronicler. And who might you two be?"

Azlyn and Telary look at each other in near-panic for a few seconds, neither one sure what to do now that they've been discovered.

Or have they? So far, Jiminy hasn't seemed inclined to raise any kind of alarm at their presence, so maybe…

"I'm Telary, uh, Mr. Cricket," Telary says first, bowing his head slightly at the little bug, hoping it comes off respectful. "Donald Duck's apprentice."

"I see," Jiminy says, scratching his chin in a way that appears thoughtful. "And your friend?"

"I'm Azlyn," the knight in training says. "I'm, uh, I'm with the royal guard. Or, at least I will be."

"That's very interesting, you know," the cricket says with a bit of a laugh, as though their introductions have amused him somehow. "To see you two out here in these gardens, near this secret entrance to the Gummi hangar. Especially since I recall that the young lady here was explicitly _banned _from participating in this mission offworld. It would be a real shame if I had to report to the queen or either one of your teachers that you've been sneaking around in direct disobedience of their orders."

Silence reigns for a few seconds as both Azlyn and Telary's minds work overtime to come up with some way to get out of this predicament.

Finally, Azlyn manages to come up with something, though it is definitely not an airtight excuse.

"Actually," she begins, sidling a little closer to the tiny bug and placing one hand on her munny bag just in case, "They decided that they were too harsh with us earlier. In fact, they felt so bad that they told us we could do the Gummi ship's pre-flight check. Telary here is very proficient with the ship, you should know."

For a second Jiminy just stares up at the apprentice knight, before sparing a split second glance to Telary behind him, who is nodding in a manner he hope is reassuring of the truthfulness of Azlyn's statement. It's a lot to expect from a nod, but the mage-in-training has to try _something_.

"I see," Jiminy mumbles quietly, before placing his hands on his hips, anger in his eyes now. "Do you kids think I was born yesterday? Your noses might not be growing, but I could've spotted that lie from a full mile away! You kids are obviously mixed up in things you aren't supposed to be, and frankly I…"

Any of the rest of his rant is considerably muffled, or most likely replaced by a much harsher new rant, when Azlyn deftly scoops the little guy up off of the ground and, in one fluid motion, stuffs him into her munny sack before closing the string tightly.

The garden is deathly quiet for a moment, and then Telary predictably, and probably in this case appropriately, begins to freak out.

"What did you just do?" he screams in a very unstealthy manner, which doesn't really bother him at this point, because any punishment he receives now he probably really deserves, for being an accomplice to something like this.

"I resolved the situation," Azlyn says calmly, trying to mask the immense guilt and regret this action has caused her. "Upon reflection, I realize that it may not have been the _best _way to resolve it, but I certainly can't go back and undo it now, can I?"

Telary almost protests, but then realizes that this train is inevitably leaving the station now, whatever has happened has happened, and it really is best to just go with the flow, no matter how terrifying and immoral the flow happens to be at the moment

"No, you can't," he sighs, following his cohort over to the Gummi Hangar entrance. Azlyn opens the door, stuffs her munny bag away so that Jiminy's protestations can't make any undue noise that could interrupt the delicate proceedings, gives her friend a pat on the shoulder that she hopes is reassuring, and heads down into the depths below.  
**  
KH-KH-KH**

Despite the storm raging all around, the waters of Destiny Islands remain almost exceptionally calm as Sora frantically rows his boat from the mainland to the local kids' hangout.

Sora definitely isn't as calm as the sea around him, however, not with lightning still lancing through the sky in angry white streaks of electricity, and thunder rumbling loudly mere seconds afterwards.

And certainly not with a giant orb of inky black darkness with a fiery red center like the heart of a star hanging in the stormy sky.

Sora may not have paid a lot of attention back in science class when they learned about atmospheric phenomena and weather patterns, but he knows enough to realize that whatever is suspended in the sky right now is in no way natural.

He reaches the dock and throws his line ashore, leaping after it moments later and tying it to the appropriate post. This is when he notices that the two posts next to his also have lines wrapped around them, which can only mean that…

Just as he suspects, both Riku and Kairi's boats are moored to the dock, bobbing up and down gently in the water.

Despite everything, Sora smiles, glad that his friends share his concern for the raft.

The smile doesn't last long.

Something stirs in the bed of Riku's boat. Sora can't make out exactly what it is, with the sky being so dark above, but it is definitely moving, and it sets Sora's teeth on edge just looking at it.

Yellow eyes gaze up at him from the darkness of the boat. And not just one pair either.  
_  
Yellow points of light, almost like tiny little eyes, glowing with malevolence, surround the outermost points of his vision. He knows they are there, knows that they represent terrible, hungry things that will devour him whole if they have a chance, but every time he turns to get a good look, the eyes move too, keeping their owners to the shadows._  
_  
Or perhaps their owners _are _the shadows._

Something jumps up at him from the boat, its eerie yellow eyes sharply focused on him. It lands on the dock, and Sora gets a good look at the creature, a squat, almost ant-like, jet-black thing with two antennae wiggling out from its forehead. Its mass appears to shift even as it stays still, as if it's made up of living black ink.

The top of its head only comes to about Sora's shin, but the pointy black claws on the tips of its tiny hands suggest that in this case, size does not matter.

Sora screams and stumbles back, the wood of the dock clunking underfoot as he does. The creature looks at him blankly, then begins to move forward, even as more of its kind emerge directly from the ground, like the shadows themselves.

Panicking, Sora jumps into his own boat and grabs the oar, hoping that it will prove an effective enough weapon to save him.

A pair of Shadows leap off the dock towards him, and by reflex Sora swings out the oar, catching both creatures and sending them flying. He doesn't see where they land, nor does he have time to ponder, as another pair leaps down towards the boat.

Sora swings his oar again, sending the creatures flying after their brethren. Granted a moment's respite, the boy leans down and snatches his wooden sword from the boat's floor, holding it in his right hand while his left clings to the oar.

There is nothing he'd rather do more now than put the oar to the water and get away as fast as he can, but in his heart he knows that if Riku and Kairi are out here in the midst of all this madness, he can't just abandon them.

And so he leaps out of the boat onto the dock, both of his weapons flashing, sending the Shadows that have gathered scattering, some flying away from the force of his blows, and others retreating before they can find themselves batted down.

They keep coming, however, though whether these creatures are new arrivals to the battle or the same Shadows come crawling back for me, Sora isn't sure.

As he defends himself, he desperately tries to think of places where Riku and Kairi could be, hoping against all odds that they haven't found themselves under attack like he has.

Leaping off the dock into the sand of the beach, where more of the dark creatures spring seemingly from nowhere to press their attack, Sora notices something out of the corner of his eye.

Over at the small islet where he, Riku, and Kairi had watched the sunset and dreamed of their departure into the unknown just yesterday, something is stirring. Someone. And although Sora cannot tell for certain, he knows in his heart that he has found Riku. While he doesn't see Kairi with the older boy, certainly he must have found her and sought to protect her?

Either way, Sora realizes in that moment that he must reach the islet, and Riku.

Now there is only the matter of the Shadows that have continued to rise to challenge him. Steeling himself, Sora charges, screaming at the top of his lungs as he does so, hoping to gain some small advantage by shocking his opponents.

The tiny creatures offer no such satisfaction, and race towards the young boy with murder on what could generously be described as their minds.

Sora's swings end up being more or less random, not caring what exactly it is he strikes at, as long as it keeps the dark creatures at bay.

They continue to charge however, seemingly not impacted by Sora's mad rush. No matter how many times they are knocked back, the damage they receive from the blows has such a small impact as to be completely negligible.

This game continues for nearly a full minute, as Sora rushes along the beach, and the monsters charge at Sora, but eventually the boy reaches the wooden bridge connecting the sunset-watching islet to the main area of the play island. Though it seems that this island will certainly not be used again for play in quite some time.

As soon as Sora steps on the bridge, all of the Shadows seem to melt away, slinking back into the darkness that surrounds them. Exhausted from his long combat, Sora drops the oar to the ground, where it lands on the bridge's wooden slats with a weak clunk.

After a moment of rest, doubled over and gasping for breath, Sora looks up, straight across the bridge to the islet.

Riku is there, gazing up at the impossible maelstrom of dark energy hanging over everything, his back to Sora.

As the boy make his way across the bridge, the sound of his footfalls catch the ear of Riku, who smiles and turns to greet his oldest friend, who now can finally journey into an unknown land of great adventure alongside him. Forever.

The smile on Riku's face sends shivers down Sora's spine. How can the older boy be smiling at a time like this, while chaos reigns and shadows spring forth to press their attack? And what has become of Kairi? A cursory sweep of the islet reveals that the girl is nowhere to be seen. Has Riku abandoned her?

"Riku!" Sora calls as he reaches the islet, pure relief on his face and in his voice. "I was so worried that maybe those things had gotten you! Where's Kairi? I saw her boat and…"

"Our world has been connected, Sora!" Riku cries, raising his arms to the darkened heavens in abject joy. "The door, it's been opened! We're free now, free to go to other worlds. Free to determine our own destinies!"

"But what about Kairi?" Sora asks, growing more terrified with every word Riku speaks. "You need to stop talking like a crazy person and help me…"

"Kairi will come with us," Riku assuages him, his manic grin still stuck on his face like it has been permanently carved. "Everything will be just like I always wanted. We can be together forever, have adventures _forever_! We'll never have to stop, or leave each other's' sides, or even grow up! We can all stay together, and the same. Isn't it great?"

Sora realizes in that moment that his friend has seriously lost it. Does he not notice that the cost of the life of adventure he's promising is the destruction of everything else they've ever loved?

"But, what about the island, huh?" Sora asks pleadingly, hoping to get Riku to see reason, help him find Kairi. "If we leave now, we…"

"We might never see our parents again," Riku finishes, though without any hints of anguish in his voice, merely a calm acceptance of fact. "Or ever get to come back here. But we'll have each other." Looking down from the sky, Riku stares straight at Sora, seemingly into his soul, and reaches out a black gloved hand for Sora to grasp onto and accept the course that lies destined ahead of them. Just like in the dream. "Fear can't stop us, we have to be stronger than it. _I'm _stronger than fear, maybe for the first time in my life. And you have to be too. It's now or never." The smile slips from Riku's face, leaving only a deadly seriousness across his visage, "Don't fear the Darkness, Sora! I don't."

"Riku, I…" Sora begins, but the terror and surprise that has gripped him stays anything further from passing his lips, leaving him almost as mute as he was in his dream. "I'm not…"

"Come on, Sora," Riku says, his voice still and calm, almost devoid of any emotion. "You can do it. You can embrace the Darkness too, just like me."

It is then that Sora notices that Riku's talk of embracing darkness is completely literal, as an inky black pool of pure Darkness, shot through with streaks of purple, appears around his feet, and grows up his legs like a weed.

"Riku!" Sora cries out, rushing forward. As soon as he steps foot on the sand of the islet, the shadowy pool reaches out to entangle his feet as well, devouring his shoes and beginning its ascent up his legs. It feels wrong, like an army of ants crawling up his body, through his skin. "Riku, please, you've got to…"

"Yes, Sora, that's it," Riku continues, even as the darkness makes its way up his torso, reaching towards the black straps that cross the chest of his sleeveless shirt. "Let it in. let the darkness take you!"

His hand is still out, and Sora desperately tries to take it, but it is just out of reach. The darkness is nearly to his neck now, the completely horrid feeling of its slow and inevitable march washing over him. Riku could move but an inch and lock onto Sora's hand, but he remains as still as a statue as the darkness covers his eyes.

"R-Riku…" Sora manages to say through the blackness that has covered his mouth. Then it reaches his eyes, the sensation so unbearable he almost passes out. He knows that he cannot falter, though, knows that he must do whatever he can to resist the darkness.

Moments later, his vision completely eclipsed by the darkness, Sora thinks he does just that.  
**  
KH-KH-KH**

Stealth is of paramount importance now, as even though Donald and Goofy have not yet arrived in the hangar, Chip and Dale, master machinists and keepers of the Gummi hangar, may already be in the control booth, making sure that things are running smoothly for the imminent launch.

"How are we gonna get in the ship without using the hands?" Azlyn asks her more knowledgeable companion, gesturing upwards to the giant, gloved manipulators that are the primary means of entering the Gummi ship's cockpit, its crew dropped in like a reverse of the popular claw arcade machine.

"There's a back entrance," Telary informs her, doing his best to calm the nerves that are threatening to overwhelm him if he lets himself be distracted from the matter at hand for even a moment. "It's supposed to be used for emergencies only, but Master Donald always uses it so he doesn't have to deal with the hands. C'mon, it's over here."

Azlyn spares a moment to look up at the Gummi ship as she and her partner make their way to the secret door. The giant vessel, made from hundreds of tiny individual blocks called Gummis, whose origins are a complete mystery to everyone but King Mickey and the chipmunks, is about the size of the Royal Audience Chamber, in total. Behind its orange body are three massive thrusters that, in the event of an actual launch, pump out massive jets of flame that push the vessel through the coldness of space. Two white wings stabilize the flight, and atop it all sits a large domed area, the cockpit, where all of the controls are handled. The rest of the ship contains four sleeping cabins for off-duty personnel and passengers, a small but functional, not to mention fully stocked, kitchen, and even its own personal gym.

Azlyn knows all of these facts through the firsthand experience of Telary, who has always made sure to regale her with his latest exploits in the Gummi simulator, the only real way to get a handle for flying the ship, since it hasn't ever actually been out into space.

Though that certainly won't be the case after today.

The emergency exit leads into the cargo bay, a currently empty room made for storing non-essentials during flight. At the end of the room, opposite the ramp used to enter the chamber, is a ladder leading into the main area of the ship.

The pair ascend the ladder, finding themselves in the nexus of ship activity. Two doors rest in the left wall of the square room, one which leads into the hallway where the cabins are located, the other into the kitchen, and a third is across the room in the recesses of the right wall, where the gym is located. Two separate round tables, each surrounded by for chairs, rest on the huge square rung in the center of the room, and at the exact opposite end of the room from the cargo bay ladder is another ladder, this one leading directly into the cockpit.

"We should probably hide out in the cabins," Azlyn tells Telary, looking around the space with a wide grin. "That way, we can escape detection until it's already too late to…"

A furious clinking noise arises from Azlyn's pocket then, no doubt the erstwhile chronicler Jiminy Cricket attempting to make headway out of his tiny, coin filled prison.

"Oh, yeah," Azlyn says sheepishly, rubbing the back of her head slowly with the palm of her hand. "I guess we'll have to do something about this whole 'kidnapping' thing. That sure won't look good."

"No, I don't suppose it will," Telary shoots back sarcastically, which is really an odd emotion for the mage-in-training. It even impresses Azlyn a little.

"So, I guess I'll just find somewhere to keep him while we think of a way to…"

"Donald?" a high pitched voice suddenly interrupts, blaring through the common room's speaker system. Telary yelps in pure terror upon hearing it. "Goofy? Do you read us? We noticed that somebody opened the emergency hatch, and just wanted to check that you were preparing for lift off."

"What do we do now?" Telary practically shrieks at Azlyn, eyes bugging out of his head and pulse racing beyond what should be healthy. "How do we…?"

"Well, you're just going to have to answer them, won't you?" Azlyn interrupts, glaring daggers at her panicking partner and trying to use her anger to mask her own feelings of fear.

"But, how do I…?"

"Just get it done!" Azlyn barks before running down the cabins' hallway.

Taking a big gulp and a deep breath, Telary sprints as quickly as he can to the cockpit ladder, scurrying up it and running to the comm controls. He is definitely glad in this moment that the glass of the cockpit's viewing bubble is completely opaque from the outside.

Clearing his throat and trying to remember how to pull off his best Captain Goofy impression (Basically everyone at the castle has one) Telary presses the "answer" button on the controls, praying to anything that will listen that things work out.

"Uh, everything's just fine… Uh, ahyuck!" he answers, sweating bullets now. Just then, there is a muffled scream from Azlyn that echoes up from the deck below. Deciding to ignore it for now, he soldiers on with his communiqué. "We just wanted to get an early check goin', see how things were shaping up around here. Ahyuck. You know how Mast… er, how Donald can be about being prepared."

"You sure, Goofy?" Chip asks from over the link.

"Yeah," chimes in the deeper voice of Dale. "You sound kinda funny there, Goofy. Are things…?"

"I say again," Telary says desperately, dully taking note of Azlyn's arrival in the cockpit, and how pissed she looks. "Everything's fine, gwarsh! Er, I mean, ahyuck! In fact, I was just getting ready to start her up!"

Behind him, Azlyn's eyes widen. Taking off in the ship on their own wasn't the plan. What is her partner doing?

"Okay, you go ahead, then," Chip replies, though his voice remains skeptical. "We'll launch when you give us the go-ahead!"

"What are you doing, you moron?" Azlyn yells as soon as the link is cut, stalking angrily over to the copilot's chair and sitting down heavily. Telary notices that there is a smudge on her cheek, and her clothes are a bit askew. "The plan wasn't to _steal_ the ship, just hide out until…"

"Well, I panicked, okay?" Telary shoots back, finally finding it in him to truly call Azlyn out on her poor planning, and the way she's treated him since he first reluctantly joined this crazy endeavor. "Just like you did when you stuffed Mr. Cricket into that money bag, and let me tell you, I'm pretty sure kidnapping a member of the royal staff is a lot more illegal than stealing a Gummi ship!"

"So you're gonna do it?" Azlyn asks incredulously. "You're gonna take the Gummi ship and go to Traverse Town, without Donald or Goofy?"

"No, of course not! I'm just going to… Well I'll just… I simply..." And in that single, terrible moment, Telary realizes that, like it or not, that's pretty much his only option anymore. All of his courage deflates in that instant, leaving him just short of a quivering mess in the pilot's seat.

After a few moments, the comm squawks back on.

"Is everything alright?" Chip asks. "It's been a whole minute since you declared intentions to start up and…"

"It just took Donald here a second to find the manual," Telary says in his Goofy impression, back stiff and straight, prepared. "Starting up now."

Even without a manual to assist him, Telary knows the launch sequence by heart. Inputting a few commands into the console, he braces himself for the ship's power to fully flare on.

It does, and after a few moments of self-examination, the Gummi ship's antigravity repulsors kick in, and the vessel rises into the air. He presses a few more buttons, and the engines begin to rumble.

Just seconds after he begins, the Gummi ship is, for the first time since its construction, ready to launch.

"Telary," Azlyn says in a small voice, concentrating her gaze on the dashboard in front of her. "I'm sorry I dragged you into this. I know it wasn't supposed to go this far, but… Either way, it was wrong, and I apologize."

"That's good to hear, Azlyn," Telary says, trying to consider how much it took out of the girl beside him to do even just that little bit of groveling. "I wish I could have convinced you to not go through with this madness, but in the end I couldn't, so that's kind of my fault. And you know something else? If there's anyone I…"

"Ready to launch when you are!" Dale says enthusiastically over the intercom. "Just say the word and we'll open up those…"

"Hold it right there!" squawks the all-too familiar voice of Donald Duck, arriving in the control room mad as hell, with Goofy lumbering along on his heels, still a bit sleepy from the nap he'd just taken. "You've been duped! Somebody's stealing the Gummi ship, and I bet I know…"

In a flash of motion, Telary reaches out and swats the off button on the console, cutting of all communication with flight control. He immediately moves to input a few new commands.

"What are you doing?" Azlyn asks, almost unable to comprehend her usually so civically-minded friend engaging in such rash action. "Without the chipmunks to open the hangar doors for us…"

"Just hang on tight, Azlyn," Telary commands in a short, clipped voice. His fingers fly so smoothly over the console that an outside observer wouldn't have the slightest clue that he's about to pass out from sheer nerves. "And I mean that literally, because we're about to get…"

After inputting one last command, Telary steels himself, takes a deep breath, and presses down on the biggest button on the dashboard: A big, red button that reads "EMERGENCY LAUNCH".

Before anyone in the hangar can say another word, the floor beneath the Gummi ship retracts, and the vessel goes tumbling into the darkness below.  
**  
KH-KH-KH**  
_  
Power sleeps within you._  
_  
Keep your light burning strong._  
_  
The closer you get to the light, the stronger your shadow becomes._  
_  
You are the one who will open the Door._

A bright light pierces the darkness, a pure, beautiful thing that begins at a single point, burning like a star in the night sky, and slowly expands outward, filling the darkness with a soft white light…

Suddenly, Sora finds himself back on the islet, the darkness having retreated from his vision.

He looks up to Riku, but finds his friend is nowhere to be seen. He is alone once again, and above him the storm rages, the orange and black hole in the sky still looming above like a predatory bird circling its prey.

Something else is different too, Sora notices. Something is weighing down his arm, gripped in his hand.

It is a sword. A strange sword. Its hilt, which Sora can feel gripped in his right hand, is made out of some almost rubbery material, the better to maintain his grip on it, even singlehanded. A square of yellow metal surrounds the hilt, and a small blue ring juts up from that, extending upwards in a silver sword about as tall as Sora's waist, ending in a series of teeth, like those of a key. The sword's shaft is rounded, more of a bludgeoning weapon than one meant to cut. A silver keychain dangles from the bottom of the hilt, holding a silver pendant in the shape of a heart.

"What?" Sora breathes incredulously, almost unable to believe how such a strange thing could just appear out of the blue, unsure of what even…  
_  
Keyblade… Keyblade…_

"Keyblade," Sora repeats, echoing the mysterious words that seem to have just appeared in his head, unbidden. Instinctively, he knows that the words refer to the weapon, if it is that, in his hand.

He has no time to further contemplate the mysteries surrounding his new weapon, or the disappearance of Riku, as behind him he hears the slight but grating noise of the Shadows rising from the ground.

He turns and drops into his ready stance, gripping the blade's hilt in both hands, slowly preparing his muscles and calling to mind years of sparring matches, fights he has won and lost in play with the other children of the islands.

The Shadow approaches, and with a grunt of exertion, Sora raises the Keyblade, and brings it swiftly down.  
_  
On a glowing blue platform suspended in the blackness, two Shadows charge, but the mighty swing of his sword cleaves one in two._  
_  
Stepping forward, Sora swings again, bisecting the other shadow as well._  
_  
"The Power to fight the Darkness is yours…"_

The Shadow dissipates in a burst of inky black energy, fading into nothingness, even as a small light rises into the air momentarily, only to vanish once more into darkness.

Startled, Sora takes a step back, sparing a moment to concentrate his gaze on the mysterious Keyblade.

Finally armed with an effective weapon, Sora charges forth swinging wildly, taking out two Shadows with each swing, forcing them back towards the bridge.

The Shadows finally seem to take the hint, slinking back into wherever they have come from, or perhaps seeking easier prey.

For a moment Sora merely waits in his battle ready stance, breathing hard and flicking his eyes across all he can see, both watching for another attack and searching for any sign of Kairi.

No Shadows spring forth to attack, and Kairi is nowhere to be seen. But, delving deep into his brain, Sora realizes that there is only one logical place for Kairi to have fled. One place on the island that could shelter her from the terrible storm, and hopefully help her avoid the awful creatures that have arrived with it:

The Secret Spot.

Sora rushes through the rain to the waterfall clearing, doing his best to ignore the near simultaneous attacks on his senses by the thunder and lightning being produced by the strange dark nebula.

He's not sure exactly why, but it feels as if his time is running out.

He reaches the clearing in record time, nothing on his mind but to find Kairi and ensure her safety. The uncertainty of what happened to Riku back on the islet still plagues his mind, but he knows that if he allows it to overtake him, he may fail yet another friend.

The clearing is almost silent, a stark contrast to the storm that rages in the skies above, now only making itself known through silent flashes of white light.

Sora moves to the trunk of the tree, brushing past a few exposed roots to get to…

There is a door in front of the entrance to the secret cave, a double door that looks like it belongs in a church somewhere, its pristine white face shining even in the dimmest light, stained glass patterns on the frame.

In an odd way, Sora can almost swear he has seen…  
_  
The same door rests on the edge of the pink platform with the three silhouettes, different from the two that have come before it._  
_  
"Don't be afraid"_, _the voice assures Sora, a beam of light like a spotlight in a theater shining down from somewhere Sora cannot see, onto the door, illuminating the stained glass patterns that surround it._  
_  
"You are the one who will open the door,"_ _it continues, and in this moment, Sora believes the words of the mysterious voice with all of his heart._  
_  
Reaching out, he grabs both handles of the door and pulls, light spilling out of the opening portal and enveloping his  
vision…_

The door is open, though Sora cannot remember if it was like this when he found it, or if he himself was the one who opened it.  
_  
You are the one who will open the Door_.

"Kairi!" Sora calls as he rushes into the cave, gripping the mysterious Keyblade tighter in his hand, ready to vanquish any foes that may threaten his friend.

"Sora…" is the only reply, unmistakably from Kairi's lips, a weak moan that immediately sets off Sora's concern.

He reaches the main area of the cave and sees Kairi, standing in the same outfit she had worn today, only a few hours ago, before the storm, and the fear, and the Keyblade. She is facing the door with no handle, through the cracks of which dark mist flows into the cave. The mist ghosts over Sora's legs, and a chill runs up his spine.

"The door," Kairi says, slowly turning and revealing a sallow face, eyes sunken and dull. The mere sight of Kairi like this, _his _Kairi, his best friend, and perhaps even more than that… "The door has opened Sora. It's here. It's here for me."

"What are you…?" Sora begins, stepping forward, but before he can move further than that, the door with no handle explodes, the dark mist now coming out as if propelled by a gale force wind, pushing directly into Kairi.

In her obviously weakened state, she can do nothing but let loose a muffled cry, even as the wind picks her up off the ground and sends her hurtling towards Sora.

The boy manages to stand his ground and stretch out his arms, ready to catch Kairi and hold her against the wind for as long as is necessary, even permanently if that's what it takes to keep them together.

As soon as she hits his arms, she is gone, vanishing into thin air as if she never existed at all.

A dull pain strikes directly into Sora's heart at the sight, and his balance can no longer be maintained. The wind takes him, blowing him back towards the cave's entrance.

Darkness swims at the edge of his vision, closing in on him even as he lets out one last, desperate cry.

"Kairi!"  
**  
KH-KH-KH**

After what feels like an eternity of screaming in an endless freefall, the Gummi ship lurches to a stop in the blue emptiness of space, the artificial gravity reasserting itself and sending both Azlyn and Telary crashing back into their seats.

"How did you know that would work?" is the first thing out of Azlyn's mouth, gazing at her cohort just one seat over in wonderment.

"I read a lot," is the boy's simple answer, his deceptively calm voice concealing the absolute terror that has gripped his entire being at the act he just committed. "I must have gone through the manual for this thing a hundred times."

"Yeah, I'll bet Donald would have made you read it _at least_ that many times before he even let you touch the controls," Azlyn quips, riding high on the giddiness of really escaping the castle.

"No, I only had to do it once for Master Donald," Telary replies, intently inputting a code into the main computer. "The rest was just for fun."

"Okay, now let's get out of here before they can reel us back in," Azlyn urges, suddenly remembering that the actions they have taken this day are highly likely to result in a lifetime of imprisonment if they don't manage to get away now.

"Right," Telary agrees, gripping the control yoke steadily. With one last deep breath, he tilts it forward, activating the Fire-Gummis in the engines. With a lurch, the Gummi ship shoots off into space, leaving Disney Castle far behind.

Azlyn can only stare out the cockpit's observation bubble, marveling at the vastness of space. It's mostly blue, but beyond she can see green and yellow nebulas pulsing in its depths. It's the most breathtaking thing she has ever seen.

Leaning back in her chair and resting her hands behind her head, she lets her overwhelming accomplishment sink in. She has done what she has always wanted, always dreamed of, leaving Disney Castle and its future of dull drudgery behind.

She has charted her own destiny.

Back in the control booth in Disney Castle's Gummi hangar, Donald Duck is furious, nearly bouncing off the walls and quacking loudly. Stopping for a moment, he aims a kick at a nearby computer console. Unfortunately, the console is made of solid steel, and his webbed foot gains quite a bruising.

"Yeeeeowch!" the mage yelps in surprise, holding his injured foot in both hands and hopping around wildly on the other. In his mind, he adds this to the pile of grievances against Azlyn and Telary.

Azlyn he should have expected trouble from, should have had watched like a hawk. Her part in the insurrection he is almost understanding of, like when a rabid dog bites you. What really gets his goat is Telary's role in today's proceedings.

Sure, Donald is hard on the kid, saddling him with menial tasks that are truly beneath his actual magical proficiency, but he had truly considered his student a gifted magician, a worthy addition to the Disney Castle Mage Corps.

Well, that's certainly out of the cards now. Even if, as Donald suspects, Azlyn somehow pressured the boy into participating in the insubordination, punishment is certainly in order.

Now if only Chip and Dale can hurry up and get the Gummi ship recalled.

"We can't recall the Gummi Ship!" Dale shouts in surprise, shaking Chip hard in panicked terror.

"What do you mean, you can't recall the Gummi ship?" Donald asks, stalking over to the control booth's main console. "Just put in the recall code and…"

"We tried that, Donald," Chip explains, calm and collected in direct contrast with his red-nosed brother, who is still leaping around the top of the console hysterically. "But the code is being blocked. Somehow, they must have set up a program to counter our attempts at retrieval."

Donald takes a moment to internally translate what Chip has just told him, and when he finally works it out, he nearly lashes out at another computer terminal.

"So what you're saying is we have absolutely no way of recalling that Gummi ship?" Donald tries to confirm, his speech now coming out in almost unintelligible quacking. "And since we don't even _have _another ship, there's no way of going after them either?"

"That's right," Chip sighs, slumping dejectedly down onto the console's surface.

With no words really left to say, Donald just lets out his loudest scream.

After a moment, things calm down in the booth. That's truly for the best, as at that moment Queen Minnie, followed by Daisy and Goofy, steps into the room.

"Goofy told me what happened," Minnie sighs, putting a comforting hand on Donald's shoulder. "I understand that you did all you could."

Chip explains about the anti-retrieval program the escapees must be running, keeping the tower from recalling the Gummi ship.

"We'll keep the program running, of course, just in case," the chipmunk finishes with a hopeless sigh. "But unless they have to completely reboot their systems, we won't be getting through their program. Say what you want about Telary, especially after today, but the guy's one smart cookie."

Minnie is silent for a moment, and the rest of the Royal Council decide that she should have the first word. Staring out at the empty hangar, the queen blinks a few times, tears coming to her eyes but not spilling over onto her sullen face.

"This situation is not ideal, obviously," she says, voice level despite her moist eyes. "But, whatever else Azlyn and Telary are, they are very skilled at what they do. I think it is safe to say that they are the best students this castle has ever seen. Perhaps, with the skills that we have taught them, as well as the wisdom I hope has been imparted to them throughout their lives here at the castle, they just might be able to fulfill the king's request."

"But Your Majesty, they're just… Just kids!" Donald protests. "We have to do something, maybe try to pull together another Gummi ship from the blocks we've got in reserve, and…"

"No, Donald, I don't think so," Minnie says, shooting the idea down with a wave of her hand. "I think that now, whatever happens, we must leave in the hands of Fate."

Silence settles in the control room, every member of the Royal Council lost in their thoughts of Azlyn, Telary, and the king.

Okay, not every member, exactly. Goofy is mostly thinking of…

"Hey, uh, has anybody seen Pluto?" he asks, scratching his head under his helmet.

Happy to have a distraction, Donald begins to go off at Goofy, for thinking of something as trivial as the royal pooch on this disaster of a day.  
**  
KH-KH-KH**

Sora's head feels like it just lived through a disaster, a headache pounding away at his skull. His eyes are closed, and he can feel that he is laying on the Destiny Island's beach, obviously having drifted off to sleep.

He knows that he'd better get up soon or Riku is going to be mad, but it's hard to want to do anything with the wind so loud in his ears…

Suddenly, Sora's eyes snap open, and the memories of the last hour or so flood back into his awareness. The storm, the creatures, Riku…

Kairi…

All around Sora, the sky is purple, a dark maelstrom kicking up sand in all directions. Looking up, he can see that the dark orb is much closer, its center now glowing a fiery red instead of orange.

He looks down, and faces only an endless abyss of darkness.

Sora screams in surprise, backing away from the ledge. Looking around, he can see that he is standing on what little remains of his world, a patch of sand not larger than a mile across, floating in darkness. Around him, other, smaller chunks float in the abyss.

His home as he knew it is gone.

Sora hears a noise behind him and pivots on one foot quickly, hoping to see another survivor of the destruction, maybe even Riku or Kairi. But all that greets him as he stops his turn is his own shadow.

His shadow…  
_  
He is on a yellow platform, depicting an auburn-haired young woman in a beautiful golden ball gown, surrounded by objects with faces. A large, dark-furred beast looms behind her, almost trying to hide itself in the folds of a tattered purple cloak._  
_  
Light shines from some unknown place directly into the center of the platform._  
_  
"Step into the light," the voice from nowhere and everywhere at once encourages. _  
_  
Sora does so cautiously, keeping his grip on the sword in his hand tight, prepared for the return of the Shadows from the last platform. But the only shadow he can see as he steps forward is his own._  
_  
"The closer you get to the light, the greater your shadow becomes," the voice tells him, like a wise old master might impart wisdom to a student._  
_  
"Can you face your shadow? It is the only way to open the door."_

Sora shakes off the odd flashback to his dream, created in his head only two days ago. Oh, if only he could return to that day!  
_  
Sora's shadow moves._  
_  
It grows and stretches, transforming within the span of a second into a living, three-dimensional mirror of Sora done in all black. Its eyes glow yellow, and it keeps growing._  
_  
Hands become claws, feet shrink and turn upwards towards powerful legs that are taller than two Soras would be standing on each other's shoulders. Its chest grows proportionally, black as the night, with a hollow heart-shaped impression in the middle._  
_  
Its face loses all traces of humanity, dark tendrils wrapping around it, like hair gone wildly out of control. All that can be seen in the dark folds are two yellow, glowing eyes._  
_  
Sora instinctively takes a step back, both awed and frightened by this terrible creature…_

The flashback ends, but the creature remains, standing opposite Sora, looming over him on the small surviving patch of Destiny Islands land.

Oddly enough, Sora can still feel the sword from his dream in his hand. Looking down, he realizes that what he is holding is not that sword at all, but the Keyblade.

The sight of the sword that seems so effective against Shadows renews Sora somewhat, and he crouches into his battle stance, both hands gripping the Keyblade tight.

The creature opposite him must take that as a sign of a challenge, for the great monstrosity rears back, raising its hand and sending it slamming down into the…  
_  
…Platform, casing the whole of it to shake. The hand seems embedded, though no glass breaks. A pool of pure darkness forms around it, and Sora knows that the Shadows from before are waiting within it. Still, this may be his only chance to strike, so he rushes forward into the darkness, bringing down his sword in a mighty two handed blow…_

…That strikes directly into the wrist. Encouraged by the landed hit, Sora doesn't let up, slamming the Keyblade into the monster's hand again and again.

After a moment, the hand shifts, and Sora leaps back, afraid of retaliation.

Suddenly, the hollow heart in the monster's chest glows with blue light. Cautiously, Sora approaches, hoping that maybe…  
_  
…A burst of blue light shoots forth from the monster's chest, flying directly at Sora. The boy only barely manages to roll to the side, avoiding the blast. Another pair of blasts shoot out, and Sora runs, twisting his body around one blast, and ducking under the other._  
_  
The monster shifts once more, raising its hand again to slam down…_

…Sora realizes, as he tries to stabilize himself after the shock from the hand's collision with the floating island, that there is no way that he can just keep hammering at the monster's wrist and hope it is enough to defeat the beast. No, there must be a way to…  
_  
…Sora's gaze wanders up the monstrous arm of the dark creature, eventually settling on its face. The piercing yellow eyes gaze at him with an odd sort of emptiness, almost as if it doesn't want to keep playing this game of attack-and-retaliate._  
_  
In fact, in this moment, those eyes seem almost vulnerable…_

…The eyes! Of course! He remembers reading, in one of his school books not long ago, that no can train their eyes to protect themselves!

He just hopes that rule applies to giant monsters of pure shadow as well as people.

Sora charges forward, Keyblade held high. Pausing, he takes a single swing at the monster's submerged wrist, hopefully enough to distract it, then leaps straight up onto the arm of the monster. Steadying himself, he begins to run upward…  
_  
…Laser-focused on the creature's face. Passing the elbow join, he feels a tremor as the beast senses his move and tries to free its arm, knock Sora off before he can…_

..It's too late, and Sora stands on the shoulder of the great monstrosity, batting aside one dark tentacle with a one-handed strike, then gripping the Keyblade in both hands and…  
_  
…Swinging down into the face of the creature, striking right at the most vulnerable point… _

…As the Keyblade lands a hit on the eyes, the creature lurches backwards. Sora instinctively leap off the monster's shoulder and back into the sand landing hard…  
_  
…In a pool of inky black Darkness that sucks at his ankles, pulling him immediately into the darkness as if it is a wet bog…_

When Sora lands, it is with a solid clink of glass. Looking down, he sees that he has somehow found himself truly on the platform he dreamed of, although above, the monstrous ball of darkness and fire still rages, sucking the monster he just defeated up against the flow of gravity.

Sora is glad to be rid of the beast, but his joy is quashed immediately when he hears a yelp of surprise. Looking towards the source, Sora sees himself, just as he was in the prophetic dream, sinking into a pool of pure Darkness.

The other Sora struggles to escape, but the dark tendrils reach his arms, holding him back like on the islet with Riku. Instinctively, Sora moves to help, perhaps use the Keyblade to free the other him, but it is useless, as whatever had gotten a hold of the giant shadow now has him.

In moments, he is flying through the air towards the dark orb, staring down as, he is simultaneously dragged into the dark pool on the platform below.  
_  
Don't be afraid, _the voice assures Sora, even as he sees himself being swallowed by what he has finally realized is a black hole.  
_  
Remember, you are the one who will open the door._

The Darkness finally reaches his face, but before it can truly cover him, Sora simply closes his eyes, accepting wholly whatever fate is in store for him…


	4. A Town For Lost Souls

"I think I left the broom on," Telary blurts out randomly after he and Azlyn have been flying for about an hour.

Azlyn pauses her stargazing, or nebula-gazing, or whatever the hell exactly she _is _looking at out in the midst of space, and turns to face her friend.

"What?" she asks, one eyebrow raised. She had thought they'd moved past the nervous outbursts, but apparently not.

"The broom that I was using to clean up my room," Telary replies, his eyes focused on one specific point in the distance ahead. "I cast a spell on it, and it did the sweeping while I dusted. I forgot to discontinue the spell I was using to animate it before I came after you."

"Oh," Azlyn says simply, feeling a true emotional breakdown of some kind coming on soon from her partner. "Well I'm sure it's okay. You're pretty good with, uh, that stuff, so…"

"It'll just keep going and going," Telary drones, nearly without any tone at all, still gazing at the expanse outside intently. "My room is going to be _really _clean."

"Isn't, um, isn't that a good thing?"

"I suppose so," is all Telary manages before he starts to cry. Taking his hands off of the steering yoke, he just puts his face in them and cries, the full weight of what he has done finally sinking in, pushing past the urgency required to escape.

"Oh, Telary…" Azlyn stands and moves towards him, but stops when he starts to speak again, the words muffled by his hands and his sobs.

"I'm gonna have the cleanest room in the whole castle, and it won't even matter because I'm going to rot in prison for the _rest of my life!_"

Unsure of what exactly she should do, Azlyn rests her hand on Telary's back and begins to rub small circles over it.

"Hey, don't say that," she says in what she hopes is a soothing tone. She's never really tried anything like this before. This whole "emotions" thing is pretty much sailing right over her head, but she realizes it is her fault they're in this mess, and so it's her duty to do what she can to abate it. "Don't you even think that."

"But that's what's going to happen," he says, finally raising his head. A few more tears fall, and he looks pretty awful. "There's no way they'll let us get away with this!"

"They will if we complete the mission," Azlyn says confidently. "I mean, they'll have to!"

"How do you figure?" Telary asks, wiping both eyes on his sleeve.

"This key that the king wants us to find is important, right?" Azlyn continues, removing her hand from the mage-in-training's back. "He said it was the key to our survival. So, it stands to reason, that if we find this key, and we can get it to King Mickey, they'll _have_ to waive our punishment! Heck, they'll probably _reward _us, Telary. Can you imagine it? You'll be promoted instantly to, like, Royal Super Magician, or something!"

"Do you really think so?" Telary asks, intellect and hope fighting it out in his head and heart. "That they could just let us back, all forgiven?"

"They'll throw us a stinkin' parade, my friend!" Azlyn declares boldly. "So we can't let ourselves worry about what'll happen if we go back. We're on a course to save the universe here, and we can't stray from it!"

"I suppose you're right," Telary says with a smile, choosing to hope for the best instead of fearing the worst. "All we have to do is find the key, and find King Mickey, and everything will be fine! We'll be heroes, if we just keep on course and never give up!"

A loud clatter arises from below decks, like someone has knocked over one of the tables down there.

"We surrender!" Telary yelps, raising his hands and leaping up from the pilot's chair. "I'm sorry about what happened, I'll never do it again, just please don't hurt us!"

"Telary!" Azlyn yells, shocking Telary into silence and stillness. He pauses his hysteria for a moment and spares a glance at his partner. "Relax, it's not anyone from the castle. Well, it's not a _person _I mean…"

Before Telary can even be confused by Azlyn's explanation, a large yellow dog leaps up into the cockpit, ears drooping and tail wagging. In its mouth is Azlyn's coin sack, Jiminy Cricket's current residence.

"Pluto?" Telary asks incredulously as the pooch pads over to him and begins rubbing up against his leg. "What are you doing in here, boy?"

"I found it in one of the cabins," Azlyn explains, and the sound of her voice sets the dog to growling. "It nearly mauled me to death. It was all I could do to lock this mutt up in the room. He must have stowed away, like we were planning to."

"I guess the tables have turned on us, haven't they?" Telary says, dropping to one knee and petting Pluto with both hands. "Haven't you turned the tables on us, Pluto? Yes, yes you have!"

"Ahem!" comes the muffled voice of Jiminy Cricket from within the confines of the sack. "Still trapped in here, just so you know. I ain't getting any freer!"

"Oh, sorry, ," Telary apologizes, taking the sack out of Pluto's mouth and untying its seal. Reaching in, he picks up the little cricket and places him gingerly on Pluto's head.

"Well, I should imagine!" Jiminy yells, waving his arms madly around him. "Of all the stunts to pull, you had to disrupt a critical mission with your childish schemes? What were you thinking?"

The only sounds in the cockpit for a moment are those Pluto is making by panting.

"I just didn't want to…" Azlyn begins, struggling for the proper words to explain herself. "I wanted to be a part of something that really mattered. I thought I could help Master Donald, and Captain Goofy, and the king and queen."

"And how, pray tell, does stealing this Gummi ship do that?" Jiminy demands, placing his gloved hands on his hips. Comically, this causes his hat to slip down to cover his eyes, but no one dares to laugh about it.

"That wasn't meant to happen!" Azlyn says defensively. "We were just going to hide out in a cabin until the mission was too far gone to take us back, then, I don't know, reveal ourselves, I guess. I really hadn't thought that far."

Both Jiminy _and _Telary raise an eyebrow at that statement. Pluto growls at Azlyn a little, but that's more or less normal.

"Well, now you see what happens when you don't think things through," is all Jiminy says, sighing. For a moment he just takes a good long look at Azlyn, then he turns to Telary and does the same. After a good minute of silent observation, the cricket sighs again.

"Are you going to make us turn around?" Azlyn asks finally, biting her lip in nervous anticipation of the answer.

Jiminy gives her another good long look. "Do you two want to know something? Something about me?"

Azlyn and Telary exchange a glance, then decide that it will be better to just play along, both nodding at the cricket.

"I wasn't always a Royal Chronicler," he says, taking a seat on Pluto's head. "Didn't even used to live in your castle. No, back before I came to be in the service of your king and queen, I was a little thing called a conscience. Now, you both know what consciences are, dontcha? They're a little voice in your head, telling you if you're doing the right thing, or the wrong.

"I used to be the conscience of a… peculiar little boy. Now, it was only my first posting, mind you, but I learned the rules of being a good conscience pretty quick, the skills you need. And one of those skills is the ability to tell a rotten apple from one that just needs to get a little riper, grow some. Y'know?"

Nodding seems to be the expected thing for Azlyn and Telary to do now, so they both do.

"And I tell you folks, when I look at the pair of you," Jiminy says, almost sounding disappointed, "I don't think you're rotten. Just not ripe. And the way I see it, it's _my _job to see that the both of you grow up to be the good apples you were always meant to be!"

Both Azlyn and Telary are cautiously optimistic. "So, uh, what does that mean?" Telary asks finally, voice shaking.

"I think this journey is one you two are meant to take," the cricket replies. "I'm not going to make you turn back for Disney Castle, not just yet."

Azlyn breathes out a relieved sigh, and Telary nearly falls over. Sure, the cricket most likely couldn't have done anything one way or another to _make _them turn back for the castle, but still, it's nice to know he is committed to their cause.

"Still, you two are going to need help making good choices in the future" Jiminy continues. "And to that end, I am assigning myself to your case as your new conscience. I think with a bit of my influence, you two will be model citizens in no time."

"Well, we'll work on it on the way to Traverse Town," Azlyn says, nodding at the console. Telary gets the hint and settles into the chair, pushing the control yolk forward and sending the ship rocketing into space.

"Now for your first lesson, before you even set foot on another world, there's something you've got to know," Jiminy says, leaping over onto the main console in a surprising display of leg power.

"No littering?" Azlyn asks sarcastically, leaning back in her chair. "Don't walk on the grass?"

"You watch that mouth of yours, missy, this is serious," the cricket conscience scolds her, wagging his gloved finger.

"Uh, sorry," Azlyn says sheepishly, impressing Telary, who is amazed someone so tiny can make Azlyn feel remorse. "I won't do it again, sir Jiminy. Sir."

"See that you don't. Now, where was I…? Oh, yes, other worlds. Now, every world is separate, unaware of the others. They think their world is all there is. And, for the safety of those worlds, we've got to let them keep on thinking that."

"So, we can't tell anybody we meet on another world that we're _from _another world?" Telary asks for confirmation.

"No sir," Jiminy confirms, nodding firmly. "We've got to do our best to not disrupt the world order any. It's maybe the most vital part of our quest."

"So we keep our mouths shut about being from another world," Azlyn says. "No problem. Anything else?"

"Well," Jiminy says, sounding a bit sheepish now himself, "I mean, if you could also try your darndest to _not _litter, that'd probably be a good idea."  
**  
KH-KH-KH**

An hour or so later, Telary and Azlyn, with Pluto in tow and Jiminy keeping watch over the Gummi ship, enter the main square of Traverse Town.

It's nighttime, and the square is illuminated by artificial light sources that shine from lamp posts and neon shop signs. In the corner sits a café, a few people milling about, some even eating and drinking with each other.

All of the other buildings in the district are packed very tightly together, cobblestone paths leading between them, neon signs displayed prominently, hoping to entice some customers inside to sample their wares. Stone steps lead up to a higher level, and it appears to be that from there, it just keeps getting higher, rising into the star-filled night sky.

"Wow, this town is bigger than I thought," Telary says nervously, trying to get a good look at everything the place has to offer. "I mean, it's probably smaller than Mouseburg, but I don't know, I guess it just _seems _bigger,more intimidating, because I'm not familiar with any of it, y'know?"

"Don't let your nerves get the best of you, Tel," Azlyn advises him as she begins to stroll into the main square. "We've got a job to do, and freaking out about being in a new place isn't going to help us get it done. So, let's go."

Telary follows after his companion, still looking up in awe at the buildings above him, so unlike anything he has ever seen before.  
It's that awe that allows him to witness what happens next in the night sky.

In a sudden flash, like a lightbulb just before it burns out, a star disappears.

"Azlyn!" Telary cries, stopping dead in his tracks and pointing up at the cosmos. "Look up, it's…"

"What?" Azlyn asks frantically, spinning around quickly to face her companion, one hand pulling her shield off from where it's magnetized to her back. Her head bobs back and forth across the plaza for a few seconds before resting on Telary. Following his arm pointed upwards, she gazes into the night sky. Nothing seems to have happened, but if Telary says so… "What happened?"

"A star went out!" the mage-in-training cries out in a panic, startling a few of the people at the café, who all whip their heads around to sneak a glance at the apparently crazy person standing in the middle of the street. "It's just like the king said!"

"Huh," Azlyn says as she places her shield back on its resting plate. She had known before that King Mickey had _said _that there was an emergency, but suddenly, the reality of it is beginning to truly set in.

"This is bad, Azlyn," Telary says quietly after a moment, looking down from the sky and focusing on his friend, a bit of pain and even more worry in his eyes. "I mean, this is real stuff. Are you sure we're up to…?"

"I already told you to knock off getting upset," Azlyn counters, almost hissing the words. "Now I know that things are getting scarier, and more confusing, but we can't give up. The only way we get through this is by moving forward, got it?"

"Yeah, Azlyn," Telary agrees after a few moments of quiet contemplation. "Things are pretty scary right now, but I'm pretty sure imprisonment in the dungeon or some pocket dimension is scarier so… Let's get a move on."

Azlyn turns, sets her shoulders, and continues to march to the higher levels, Telary following along after sparing a few seconds to glance at the sky. He wonders briefly just what it is exactly that stars going out means. He'd read one theory during his studies of magic related to other worlds that stars are representative of worlds not one's own, but how could an entire world disappear? What could possibly have the power to do such a thing?

If there's one thing Telary resolves in that moment, trailing behind Azlyn, it's that he never again wants to see another star go out for as long as he lives.

"Don't you think we should stop for directions?" Telary asks as he catches up with Azlyn. "Maybe someone at that café knows where this Leon person is, or something about King Mickey even. I think it's worth checking out, at least."

"Good idea," Azlyn says, turning abruptly and making Telary once again scramble after her. "Bringing you along really worked out alright, didn't it?"

"Yeah, sure," Telary says under his breath, hoping that Azlyn is too caught up in her mission to hear. "Everything's great. Stars are going out, we have no idea where to find this key, and we can't return home or we'll most likely be imprisoned. I can't remember a time when I've been happier!"

"What was that?" Azlyn asks over her shoulder.

"Nothing…" Scared into silence, he falls back into step behind Azlyn, glad to bring up the rear. Except, he's pretty sure that he wasn't in the rear beforehand… "Where's Pluto?"

Azlyn stops and turns to face him. "What? I don't know. Isn't it with you?"

"No," Telary says with worry in his voice, looking around for any sign of the royal pooch. "I was pretty sure he was right behind us when we came in, but after I saw that star go out I…"

Azlyn shrugs, clearly not concerned for an animal that has mauled her maliciously several times in the past, including just hours ago. "We'll find it later. We kinda have more important things to look for, remember?"

Telary is hesitant to just leave without King Mickey's beloved animal companion, but tells himself that there will be plenty of time to look for the dog later, once they have completed their main task.

Still, the thought of what the king might to do them if they return without Pluto…

The dog in question has no qualms about being abandoned, however, and in all truth is actually very excited to explore the exciting new sights and smells to be found in this new world.

One smell in particular has his attention, a scent that he knows he's never smelt before, and yet carries something vaguely familiar about it.

This aroma leads him into a dark alley, just off to the side from the main square, near the accessory shop. As he enters, Pluto can just make out a shoe poking out from behind a dumpster. Eager to see if this shoe has any treats it might be willing to give out, Pluto charges into the alley after it, glad to discover that it is in fact the source of the enticing scent that has him so perplexed.

The shoe appears to belong to a sleeping boy, eyes closed and breathing heavily through his mouth. Pluto knows that he should probably just leave the boy to sleep, but honestly a dog's instincts are just hard to resist, so approaching cautiously, Pluto just reaches in and gives that slumbering face a good lick…

The first thing Sora feels is something wet and rough against his cheek. Considering he's pretty sure that he just dozed off while packing and is still in his room, perhaps leaning up against his bed or desk, this is odd, as Sora is certain that he doesn't own a dog.

But despite this, when his eyes flutter open briefly, he does in fact see a dog's face hovering in front of him. The dog is yellow, and its pink tongue quivers as it pants happily.

Sora thinks that it's an odd dream to be having, but after that weird business with the storm in his last dream, he's glad that at least this one is…  
_  
Slam!_

The massive pressure of a fully coiled dog being unsprung upon Sora's chest forces his eyes to open to full wideness, though they wince as the back of his head hits what feels like a brick wall.

After a moment of recovery, he begins to actually take in what he's seeing. It's dark, probably nighttime, but something seems to be providing illumination, especially just off to his right. Looking around, he sees that he's in an alley, one side blocked off by some wooden boards and the other open onto a larger area, maybe a street or plaza.

Wherever he is though, it certainly isn't his home on Destiny Islands, which can only mean one thing…

"I wasn't dreaming!" He cries in despair, directing the words at no one, but obviously scaring the yellow pooch that awoke him.

Everything that has happened suddenly comes flooding back, hitting him harder than the dog that just woke him up.

What happened to the island, what was that odd sword about, are Riku and Kairi okay? Maybe they're nearby, maybe they escaped the storm too…

Deciding that he's not going to learn anything of import in an empty alleyway, Sora makes his way to the mouth of the alley, hoping that maybe he might spy something familiar, something that could explain this strange new world he's…

Just as he reaches the alley's exit and spies the large town square in front of him, the thought hits him like a ton of bricks.

"I'm in another world…" he mutters to himself, incredulous and scared out of his mind simultaneously. It's all he can do to remain upright.

Traverse Town

Azlyn and Telary exit the café briskly, Azlyn storming ahead and Telary struggling to keep pace. A handful of people had in fact heard of this Leon, but were all unsure where to find him. Apparently he's some kind of local hero, showing up when trouble arose and then fading away into the background.

"I guess we're just going to have to search on our own, then," Azlyn says frustratedly, barely avoiding some kid who is just standing around looking bewildered.

"But this town is _huge _Azlyn," Telary whines, brushing past the same young man, who looks rather lost. "We could be here for days!"

"Or, we could be imprisoned in Disney Castle for the rest of our lives," the knight-in-training counters, heading up the steps towards a large door across which SECOND DISTRICT is carved. "Perspective, Telary, perspective."

"But a few people said that Second District was a dangerous place. What if we…?"

"Scary for a few ordinary citizens in some Podunk town," Azlyn scoffs, pushing through the door. "Not two people with extensive training from Disney Castle!"

Telary almost points out that neither of them have technically completed said training, but decides that it will be better in the long run if he just follows Azlyn.  
_  
Another world_, Sora thinks as he looks around. A few people pass him by, but he hardly notices. After all of the time spent dreaming and preparing and hoping, finally he has left his island. Finally he can see what the rest of the universe has to offer!

Except, any joy he feels is quickly replaced with numbness, a hollow feeling that sends an actual chill all throughout his body. While it's true that he has accomplished something he has always wanted, without his friends by his side the whole thing just seems empty, like a delicious meal that doesn't fill your stomach.

But perhaps, by some miracle, Riku and Kairi have reached this new world as well. It's certainly possible, seeing as how Riku vanished when the Keyblade appeared, and Kairi disappeared before even making physical contact with Sora in the secret cave.

Speaking of the Keyblade, Sora finally notices that it wasn't in the alley with him, or if it was, he didn't notice it, and might have left it behind…

Suddenly, a bright flash registers in the corner of his eye, and seconds later Sora can feel a weight in his hand. Looking down, he sees the Keyblade!

"That's weird," he mutters to himself, wondering how the sword could just appear at his will like that.

Even so, he figures that it will be best if he can just keep the sword on his person. After some minor finagling with his blue belt, Sora manages to secure the Keyblade in a loop on his waist. He'll have to remember to adjust the weapon before sitting down, but it's better than having it constantly disappear and reappear.

Now that everything is sorted, and his hope has been restored, Sora decides that it's time to start looking for his friends. But where to begin?

"Excuse me, young man," says a female voice, sounding concerned. Sora turns to see a woman probably ten years his senior, dressed in a white shirt and green skirt that goes all the way down to the cobblestone street. "Are you lost?"

It takes a moment for Sora's brain to shift into a mode that allows for talking, but he recovers quick enough to not seem rude.

"Yes, ma'am," he says, trying to keep from sounding nervous, but failing. "I don't know where I am, or what happened to my friends, and…"

"Oh, you poor thing!" the woman coos, placing a sympathetic hand on his shoulder. "I just hate this whole business, the whole reason this town even exists, I really do." The second part is directed more at herself than Sora.

"What town?" Sora asks, sounding a little desperate. "Where am I, what world is this?"

"Why, you're in Traverse Town, sweetie," the woman says.

Traverse Town…

"Y'know, I'm really not qualified to explain all this," the woman says, flustered. "What you need to do is go see Cid, up in the Accessory Shop. He's sort of our resident 'wise old man' about the town, you see. I'm sure he can help you."

Sora looks behind him to where he can see an orange neon sign that does indeed say ACCESSORIES/JEWELRY/GIFTS, lit up above a wide wooden door.

"Okay, sure," he says, at this point really just letting himself be tugged along by the course of events. "I'll try that out, thank you."

"It's no problem sweetheart," the woman says before wrapping Sora up in a hug that is freaks him out more than it makes him feel comfortable. "I just hate seeing children getting involved in this whole mess. I really do." She pulls back after a moment, thankfully, but still looks Sora dead in the eye. "Everything is going to be fine, darling, you'll see!"

Sora thanks the woman once again and turns for the Accessory Shop. It certainly is nice to know that there are people out there sympathetic to his plight, but almost everything she said just left Sora with more questions.

What's going on with this town, what is the reason it exists? Are lost people like him a common occurrence in this place? If the answer to that last question is yes, then that could actually be a very good thing, as it might mean that Kairi and Riku have made it to this town as well, and there is a chance the three will be reunited again soon.

The Accessory Shop is small, but somehow homey, with a fireplace nestled in the front corner to the right of the door, a small fire burning inside. The back is lined with a big black case that's full of jewelry, from simple necklaces with obviously fake pendants to large rings that definitely seem real. Two couches sit in the middle of the shop, one facing towards the door and the other away. A table sits between those.

To the left of the door is a long wooden counter, with another glass display section a few feet down the line. Standing directly behind that is a grizzled looking blonde man, dressed in a simple white shirt with blue trousers. There's a long toothpick in his mouth that he seems intent on chewing to a pulp. As the doors close behind Sora with a gentle slam, the old man looks at him intently, adjusting the pair of goggles he is wearing pushed up in his hair.

"Evenin', junior!" he greets simply, nodding. Sora wonders if the look in his eyes is a suspicious one, or if that's just the way he looks. "You lookin' to get somethin' fer ya mother?"

"Uh, no," Sora replies, stepping further into the store. His Keyblade bumps into the counter when he moves, causing him to wince, and something to change in the old man's expression. "My name is Sora. I'm new in town, and I…"

"Lookin' for information, eh?" the blonde man chuckles, flicking his toothpick. "I tell ya, I dunno when I put up a sign that says 'guest information', or where the hell it is, but everybody seems to get sent my way."

"Yeah, um, a lady told me…"

"Yeah, I know the drill, kid," the man cuts him off, sighing. "The name's Cid, by the way. This is my accessory shop! Normally I'd tell you to buy somethin' or scram the hell outta here, but I can see you're desperate."

"Yeah, I really am," Sora admits, leaning on the counter. "So many things have happened in just a few hours. It's all pretty overwhelming."

Cid just nods knowingly, like Sora's story is one he's heard time and again. "I feel for ya kid, I really do. Everybody in this town knows that feeling, trust me."

"So, where exactly am I?" Sora asks, hoping that maybe answers to at least a few of his questions will help him cope with all the new developments. "What town is this? What world?"

"Traverse Town," Cid answers. "A kinda lost and found for people who end up without anywhere to go. And there's a lot of people without anywhere to go these days. Without homes."

"So, is this another world? I'm not on the islands anymore?" Although he'd had his suspicions, it still throws Sora for a loop that he has actually managed to cross over into another world. It's only too bad that he's alone, without the friends he had dreamed of travelling beyond his own home with.

"Islands?" Cid scoffs, flicking his toothpick again. "This sure as hell ain't no islands. You ain't gonna see many tans in this town, I tell ya."

"So, this is another world," Sora says slowly, thoughtfully. "And if everybody here is _from _another world, then that could mean that Riku and Kairi are here somewhere too!"

Cid shrugs. "It's possible, I guess," he accedes, though he definitely doesn't sound convinced. "But I warn ya kid, it's no guarantee, and even if they made it here from your islands, if they didn't end up in the First District, well…"

"What?"

"Well, the other districts ain't exactly safe, kid," Cid explains grimly, grimacing and running a hand through his hair. "Lotta creepy crawlies out there, looking for trouble."

This piece of news doesn't serve to dissuade Sora. In fact, if anything it spurs him on! "If they're in danger, then I have to find my friends!"

"Alright kid," Cid says, something like a sigh in his voice. "I bet you can handle yourself with that there sword there, so I reckon you'll be safe. And if you run into any trouble, you can just come back and see me. My shop's always open. 'Til ten-thirty anyway, on weeknights. Eight-thirty on Saturdays, and I don't come in on Sunday."

"Uh, whatever you say gramps," Sora says dismissively, visions of reuniting with his friends dancing in his head as he heads for the door. "I'll come back if I need anything, and thanks for the help!"

"Don't call me gramps!" Cid yells out after Sora, scowling fiercely. After the doors settle and close, he sighs and takes the toothpick out of his mouth. The base of it is indeed chewed to a pulp. It keeps him occupied a bit, chewing on toothpicks, but it sure can't beat a good cigar. Still, people tended to be put off when he smoked in the store, and so the old man often goes without for the sake of the business.

Speaking of business, if that sword resting in the back of Sora's belt is what he thinks it is, he's certainly got some business of his own attend to. Putting a small cardboard placard that says CLOSED on the counter, Cid slips out from behind the counter, grabs a scarf for his neck, and sets out.

To find Leon.

It takes about twenty minutes for Sora to explore the rest of First District, asking anyone he can find if they've seen anyone matching Riku or Kairi's descriptions. Nobody seems to have seen them, if their reports are to be believed, and why would they lie to a total stranger? Especially considering how they've all lost loved ones as well.

So Sora decides to venture into Second District, despite the fact that Cid, and several of the other townspeople he conversed with, warned him of its dangers. Still, he knows that whatever else the mysterious Keyblade is good for, it certainly has proven useful for defense. And besides, if Riku or Kairi are lost in such a dangerous part of town, then he'd better get to them before they run into trouble.

Second District is much bigger, Sora can tell that much, with various buildings packed on either side of a large courtyard a level below where Sora is standing, a balcony like section of stone-paved walkways. Directly across from him, Sora can see a large white building, almost church-like. Thinking that it might be as good a place as any to begin his search, Sora decides to make that the first destination on his search.

The quietness of the district definitely unnerves Sora, compared to the bustle of people he encountered in the main plaza of First District. In fact, in many ways it almost seems to be a little too quiet…

He suddenly hears a noise like footsteps pounding pavement, and worried breathing gasping for air. Turning, he sees a young man running towards him.

"Please, help!" the man cries, arms flailing about. "It was right behind me, I just…"

Whatever the man has to say, he does not get a chance to say it. Before he can, the shadows behind him take solid shape. In one smooth move, the creature, which Sora recognizes all too well from his island, springs forth from the ground and up onto the man's back.

The force of impact, not to mention the weight added by the diminutive monster, completely throws off the fleeing man's balance, and he falls to the hard ground, screaming and flailing about as the creature's claws begin scratching at his back.

Alarmed, Sora grabs for the Keyblade, expecting to struggle to release it from where it is sheathed on his belt, but finds that it almost leaps into his expectant hand.

He rushes forward, but it's already too late. For a moment, a large crystalline shape, almost like a 3D representation of a Valentine heart, floats from the body of the downed young man, but the Shadow latches onto it before it can float free, and it, along with the victim, fades away.

The young man may be at peace now, but Sora can sense that he is about to face another conflict, as almost half a dozen Shadows rise from the ground, surrounding him quickly, standing in place, but all twitching, as if in anticipation of another kill.

Sora drops into his two handed combat stance, ready to once again face the creatures responsible for his expulsion from his beloved home.

Two creatures make the first move, charging at Sora in a full frontal assault, but a single hard swipe from the Keyblade is all it takes to send the monsters dissipating into shadowy bursts.

The battle is far from over, though, as a trio of the monsters charge Sora from behind. He hears them coming, and manages to pivot on his right foot and swing simultaneously, catching two of the beasts.

The other manages to avoid the blow however, and swipes a claw at Sora's belly. The hit lands and Sora stumbles back a step, only to take another blow from a second Shadow waiting behind him.

The boy turns around once again and brings his weapon straight down on the creature's head, ending its threat.

When he turns back to face the Shadow that managed to hit him first, Sora is horrified to find that several other creatures have joined the battle, and even now charge forth to attack. Sora knows he can't keep this battle up indefinitely, he already feels tired enough just from the events of the day and the fighting he has already endured, and so makes the tactical decision to retreat.

That's just a less cowardly way of saying he runs away.

He can hear the creatures coming after him, their every move making strange skittering noises that raise the hairs on the back of his neck. Focusing once more on the large white building he remarked upon entering the district, he goes all out, diving through its doors and hoping for the best.

The Shadows follow him inside however, not to be deterred in their objective. After a few moments, the district settles into a calm.

Into that calm emerge Azlyn and Telary from the motel, a place set up specifically for newly displaced inhabitants of the town to stay and recuperate from their losses. They'd thought it would possibly yield some new information on Leon, but…

"I still think we would have gotten more out of that experience if you'd been less aggressive with that nice lady at the reception desk," Telary notes to his companion, who is scowling and nursing a wound to her arm. "Or at least hadn't hissed at her cat."

"That thing was eyeing me," the errant knight-in-training protests. "I was sensing a lot of hostility from it. You know how I feel about animals."

Telary could point out her that they are at this very moment acting on orders from a mouse, but decides to let it go, seeing as things are already rough enough on their search.

"That's the whole of Second District, though," he adds, sighing. "We've asked everybody we've seen, and mind you that hasn't been a lot of people, and still nobody seems know more about Leon than his tendency to do good and disappear."

"And no word on this key so far," Azlyn adds irately. "But, hey, there's another district to check out, and if we don't find anything there, we just circle back. We've got to find what we're looking for eventually, right?"

Telary nods resolutely, even though he's still a bit weary of their so far fruitless quest. "I actually thing there was a way to third district through the other side of the motel though, so let's go back."

They turn, but Telary stops his companion before she can continue on in. "As long as you can remember your manners, and to not provoke that cat again."

"Yeah sure," his partner responds with an eye roll, pushing in the doors to the motel with probably more force than is necessary.

Just as the doors down the street, the same ones that Sora had retreated into only a minute earlier, swing open with great force.

He'd managed to cut down a number of the creatures chasing him inside the church-like building with odd bits of brightly colored machinery inside, but still a few more follow him back out into the district.

Sora is thoroughly exhausted now, but he stands once more defiant, ready to defend himself to the bitter end if necessary. The sword fights of his youth have given him a good grasp of swordplay, but he has never had to fight for his very life until this moment.

And at this moment, he is losing.

Realizing this, he runs, headed at his fastest pace for the door back into First District, a place he can be safe. He hears the creatures pursuing him, and this only motivates him to go harder, be faster. Escape!

After what feels like an endless eternity of running, he manages to break through the doors to the haven that First District will provide.

His hopes of safety flee, however, as he notices that the creatures still pursue.

Realizing that there may be no true haven from these monsters, Sora knows he has to do something, make a stand.

Planting his foot solidly, he pivots and swings the Keyblade, hoping against hope that this one swing, with perhaps the only ounce of strength he has left in him behind it, can save him.

It does.

The single swipe of the key-shaped sword severs all four of the creatures all at once, sending them as a group into nothingness. Four tiny crystalline hearts, like the one devoured earlier, float through the air before fading away.

Sora braces for another attack, although it will surely be the end of him, but thankfully finds no more of the creatures waiting for him.

He falls butt first to the ground, unable to even stand.

As he attempts to catch his breath, he gazes once more upon the strange weapon he somehow knows is called the Keyblade, realizing that without its timely appearance back on his islands, he would be dead right now, several times over.

Sora knows it's ridiculous to think of a sword as something worthy of thanks, but in this moment he offers his sincere gratitude to the weapon.

"They won't stop there, you know," a deep voice says from somewhere behind Sora. Startled, he cranes his neck to see who has spoken.

His gaze lands on a man, dark brown hair flowing down to his shoulder blades, the tips spiked so sharply they look capable of cutting anyone who dare touches them. A red scar slants to the left from just under his left eye, all the way up to his forehead. He wears a short-sleeved black leather jacket with an odd insignia on the sleeves, a red lion's head that extends down into a cross. A silver pedant of the same shape rests on his white t-shirt clad breast. His pants are the same shade as his jacket, and two brown belts crisscross each other like bandoliers over his waist. Black boots trudge up the steps from the lower area of the district. He wears black gloves on both hands, and three more brown belts rise up his impressively muscled forearm.

But what truly gives Sora pause is the blade in his hand.

As he reaches the top step the man stops and casually rests the blade's duller edge against his shoulder, and Sora can see that the hilt of the blade oddly resembles the chamber of a revolver.

"What?" is all Sora can say, exhausted and scared and dumbstruck all at once. He hears the man's words, but they all seem hazy, everything seems to be losing focus. His vision even blurs a bit.

"They'll never stop coming after you like that, never stop attacking you," The man continues, voice solemn and with a warning edge. "Not so long as you continue to wield the Keyblade."

"How…?" Sora begins, wondering how this man could know about Sora's strange new gift, or perhaps if he knows even more about it than Sora himself. He has a myriad of questions, but no energy with which to ask them. "Keyblade..." With that last word, darkness overwhelms his vision, and the boy faints dead away.

Leon pauses for a moment and examines the unconscious boy before him, drained completely after just a few measly fights with basic Shadows.

This does not bode well.

"Looks like we got to him just in time Squall!" chimes the cheery voice of Leon's partner in the protection of Traverse Town.

It's Leon," the man corrects her, annoyed at the girl's insistence on calling him by his old name, the one he forsook when he was no longer worthy of it. "And yeah, I guess we did."

"So this is him, huh?"

"Apparently." Leon sighs again, rubs his forehead, his scar suddenly itchy and irritated. "And I think that things may be worse than we'd thought. A lot worse."

All the way across town, Azlyn and Telary wander through a long back alley they've somehow managed to stumble into while looking for the way to Third District.

If they seem lost, well, that's because they are. Hopelessly.

"You'd think we'd be able to buy a map somewhere," Azlyn huffs, her nostrils flaring in anger and annoyance. "Seriously, this town is like some kind of maze. How are we supposed to find anyone in this place?"

Telary doesn't reply. This dark alley is making him even more on edge than he was previously, and considering his state even before, that's pretty damn edgy.

Azlyn notices and smirks. "Are you really scared right now, Tel? Really?"

"Well, hey, even you've got to admit," he replies defensively, "it's pretty spooky out here. Everywhere in this town but First District is. It's so empty, so quiet. I feel like any second something's gonna jump out at us and _poof_, we're done!"

"Oh, please," Azlyn scoffs, waving her hand dismissively. "You're getting all worked up over nothing! Nothing's gonna come charging out at us in this ghost town, and even if anybody tried it, my well-developed detection skills would surely…"

Suddenly, Azlyn feels a hand rest on her shoulder. She screams.

This gets Telary yelling as well, and soon both of the pair's cries are echoing all throughout the alley.

"Excuse me!" a voice that belongs to neither of the pair cuts through the noise.

Both Azlyn and Telary stop and turn almost simultaneously, finding themselves facing a tall, brown-haired woman in a pink dress that extends to her ankles, brown boots on her feet. She looks startled by all the yelling, but there is kindness in her blue eyes as well.

"I'm sorry that I startled you," the woman says apologetically.

"Oh, that?" Azlyn says, trying to catch her breath. "No big deal. Wasn't even worried." Telary gives her a bit of a side eye before turning back to their new acquaintance.

"I see," she says, disbelieving but trying not to sound like it. "Anyway, what I wanted to know is, did the king send you?"

Even more startled now than before, Azlyn and Telary look at each other for a brief second before turning back to their new acquaintance.

"Yes," they answer in perfect synchronization.

**KH-KH-KH**

The first thing Riku hears is the sound of rushing water, which leads him to immediately conclude that he must have passed out by the island's waterfall. It probably serves him right, as hard as he's been working on the raft. He deserves a little break, unlike that lazy bum Sora. Riku loves his best friend, but he swears sometimes…

He opens his eyes, and realizes that his first assumption was wrong. Massively wrong.

He's lying on a flat slab of some kind of weird blue stone, almost impossibly smooth. Looking up, he can see the sky above, tinted pink like the sun has either just come up or is just going down.

He is in fact surrounded by a waterfall, but the water is not falling, it's rising. The blue stone he's resting on is suspended in the air, with several more slabs of similar stone leading down and up, to a larger stone area that looks like the suspended courtyard of some fantasy castle.

And even further up _is_ said castle.

"Where am I?" Riku wonders aloud, sitting up and rubbing his forehead.

And up above, a mysterious lady cloaked in black and purple watches, a wicked grin across her face.  
**  
KH-KH-KH**

"Wake up, sleepyhead!"

That voice is the first thing Sora hears, although his vision remains blacked out. He nearly freaks out, fearing permanent blindness, before realizing that he merely has his eyes closed.

"C'mon, you can't stay like that forever!"

And suddenly, Sora's eyes shoot open. He recognizes that voice. He'd know it from anywhere.

Kairi is standing above him, a sly half-grin on her face. The wall behind her is green, and a gold filigree clock hangs up on it.

Sora realizes then that he's lying in a bed. Not a very comfortable one, but still a bed.

That realization, however, pales in comparison to the fact that Kairi is standing right in front of him.

"Those creatures that attacked you were actually after the Keyblade," the girl explains in her angelic voice. "They're afraid of it, so they try to destroy its wielder, and take their heart. That's what they're really after. Your heart."

Sora hears the words only distantly, like background noise to the astonishing, beautiful symphony that is Kairi.

Sora sits up now, his smile uncontainable. "I was so worried that I'd lost you. But you're here now. I'm so glad you're okay, Kairi."

"Kairi?" the girl says, and this time it's not _her_ voice that comes out of Kairi's mouth, it's someone else's. Sora's eyes widen to the size of dinner plates in confusion. What happened to Kairi's voice? It was completely normal a second ago, but now…

Sora blinks, and when he opens his eyes again, Kairi is gone, replaced by a smirking girl with short dark hair kept off her forehead by a white bandana. She's wearing a yellow scarf, a green top that covers her breasts and not much else, and pale yellow shorts secured by a blue belt. White socks come up from yellow boots to her mid-thigh.

Sora can't help but blush a little.

"Who the hell is this 'Kairi'?" the girl asks, one hand on her hip. "The name's Yuffie. The Great Ninja Yuffie!"

"What?" Sora asks incredulously, gripping his forehead in both hands. "Where did Kairi go? How did I get here? What's a ninja?"

"Wow," Yuffie huffs, smirking and turning to face the man Sora saw earlier, the hell-bent for leather one. He's leaning against the green wall and looking generally disinterested. "They really did a number on him, eh Squall?"

"For the last time," the man grumbles, "it's Leon. And c'mon Yuffie, it's the name I've been going by for eleven years, when are you going to stop getting it wrong?"

"When you stop getting pissy about it!" Yuffie shoots back, sticking out her tongue playfully. "Which honestly I assume will be never."

"What's going on, huh?" Sora demands, heaving his legs over the side of the bed. As he does so, he notices the Keyblade leaning up against the wall near Squall, er, Leon. "The Keyblade!"

"Yeah, we had to get it away from you, for your own good," Yuffie explains. "It served you pretty well, but that's actually how those creatures kept finding you. Ironic, huh?"

"We can only conceal your heart from them if you're separated from the Keyblade," Leon further explains. "It's not going to work for long, though." After a moment of silently staring at the propped up Keyblade, Leon turns back to look at Sora, something like disappointment flashing in his eyes. "Hard to believe that someone like you could be, heh, the _Chosen One_. That's pretty ironic too."

At this point Sora has had enough of being in the dark. He's ready to finally get some answers. "Why don't you start saying things that make sense, okay? Tell me what's going on?"

Nearby, just across a single wall, in fact, Azlyn and Telary sit across from the young woman from the alley, who has introduced herself as Aerith, in a room done completely in red. They're both in the canopy bed, and Aerith has taken a chair.

"Let's start with the basics," she says cheerfully. "You two know that there are worlds other than your castle and this town, correct?"

"Of course!" Azlyn says with a bit of bluster. "We are a knight and wizard of Disney Castle after all. Sent on this important mission by the King himself. Who has totally approved us leaving the castle, by the way."

"I know, you've said," Aerith says, a bit annoyed. "In fact, you've said that exact same thing like ten times."

"Because it's true!"

Telary feels bad about lying to Aerith, to anyone really, but at this point they pretty much have no choice. Actual official employees of Disney Castle or not, it seems like they'll need this information for later.

"Anyway," Aerith continues, "there are many worlds out in the universe, each one its own unique domain."

"But, they're all unaware of it, right?" Telary asks. "I mean, the existence of other worlds is a secret."

"Which is something the king also told us," Azlyn adds unnecessarily. "Before we left on our explicitly approved, officially sanctioned…"

"Yes, the worlds are all secret from one another," Aerith continues, amazingly not sounding the least bit annoyed. "They've had no other choice, because they haven't been connected. Not until now. Not since the Heartless."

"Heartless?" Sora says incredulously. While it's good to put a name to the shadowy faces he's been bashing in with the Keyblade all this time, it's also a pretty terrifying name for a group of creatures whose sole purpose seems to be to screw with you, and ultimately eat your heart.

"Those without hearts," Leon confirms with a nod. He's left his cool leaning perch against the wall and now stands next to Yuffie with his arms crossed, looking stern. Sora idly wonders if he's _ever_ smiled.

"They're attracted to the Darkness inside people's hearts," Yuffie explains further. "All the bad, nasty emotions that come as a side effect of living. They feed on that Darkness."

"Sounds, uh, bad," Sora says, at a loss for other words. He knows it's an understatement, but what else is there to say?

"Oh, you've got no idea," says Yuffie with a knowing nod. After a moment though, a curious look springs to her face. "Say, have you ever heard of someone named Ansem?"

"Ansem?" Azlyn repeats the word Aerith just said. "Sounds kind of like a rock band to me. I'd go see them, too."

"Actually, Ansem is a man," corrects Aerith gently. "A great and wise man from a far off world. He was studying the Heartless, trying to figure out what made them tick, what made them a threat to the worlds. How to stop them."

"Wow," Telary says, taking a heavy breath. "That must have been an intense study."

"It was," Aerith confirms. "And everything he found out, he wrote down in a very detailed report. It's pretty much the sum knowledge of everything he discovered about the Heartless."

"I prefer a good comic book, but still, this sounds important," Azlyn says. "Can we see it?"

"I'll bet it's fascinating," Telary agrees, eager to do something not life-threatening, like reading, for a change.

"I don't have it," Aerith sighs, shaking her head. "No one has a complete copy. Its pages were scattered all across the universe, to many different worlds."

"Huh," Telary says, pausing for a second to scratch at his chin. Suddenly he has a thought. "Maybe that's why King Mickey took off! He wanted to find that report!"

"Those were my exact thoughts," Aerith agrees. "That's why I was so interested in meeting with the king's men."

"If we could find that report, we could…" Telary almost says that they could escape their punishment, but thankfully realizes that now is a bad time to get Aerith suspicious of them. "We could find the king!"

"Yeah," Azlyn agrees, sounding oddly wary of the idea. "But we also need to find that key the king talked about. Whatever _it_ is."

"Oh," Aerith says brightly, a smile opening up across her face. "Yes, the Keyblade. I was just going to talk to you about that."

"So the Keyblade defeats the Heartless," Sora says, gazing intensely at the sword propped against the wall. It's odd that such an innocuous thing could be so deadly a weapon against the forces of evil.

"Exactly!" Yuffie confirms joyously. Apparently bored of standing still, she's taken to walking on her hands across the tiny room. "You're getting the hang of things now!"

"The Heartless have great fear of the Keyblade," Leon says lowly. "They know it's the only thing that can truly destroy them, and so they seek the destruction of its wielder. That's you. And anyone who gets between you and them."

"Man," Sora says with a dejected sigh, running his hands through his hair, "This is heavy. And I never even asked for any of it!"

"Well that's just too bad," Leon says without any hint of actual sympathy in his voice. "Legend has it that the Keyblade chooses its own master, and it chose you. So, sorry, but you're stuck with it." Leon picks up the Keyblade with a black gloved hand, and within a second light gathers around it and it disappears, only to reappear in Sora's lap. "Tough luck. For everybody."

Both Leon and Yuffie pause, obviously giving the younger boy a moment to collect his thoughts. That seems almost impossible. How could everything have changed so quickly, gotten so bad so fast? It was only yesterday Sora was peacefully at play on his island. His home.

"Wait a minute!" Sora blurts out, startling Leon and Yuffie to attention. "If you guys know so much, then maybe you can tell me what happened to my home. My island!"

For a moment the pair are silent, exchanging a look. Finally, Leon shrugs and turns back toSora. "You know something? I honestly don't know."

That about shatters Sora.

"Hey now, don't worry," Yuffie says, kneeling down by Sora in an attempt to offer assurance. Leon just sniffs at the display from across the room. "I'm sure everything will work out, you've just got to keep up hope!"

Sora doesn't reply, only looks sadly at the floor.

"C'mon, kid, you've got to get it together!" Leon commands, earning a dark look from Yuffie, but managing to get Sora's attention. He snaps his head up to look at the older man. "The Heartless are going to find you soon enough, and when that happens you'll need to be ready to fight for your very life. So I'm sorry if you need a minute, I get that, but eventually you've got to realize just what exactly is at stake here."

Sora knows that Leon is right. And Yuffie is too. He's got to get his act together to prepare for the Heartless, and if he loses hope now, there's no way he'll ever get the answers he's looking for, or find Riku and Kairi and get them home safely. He's just got to keep moving, and never lose sight of his true goal.

"So what's next then?" he asks, standing in front of Leon like he's some sort of drill sergeant commanding officer. "How do we stop the Heartless?"

"That's more like it," Leon says with almost a hint of a grin about his lips. He turns to Yuffie. "We'd better go meet up with Aerith, then. I'm sure she'll have found the others by now."

Sora is about to ask what others Leon is talking about, but before he can a sphere of pure Darkness, trailing red sparks, appears in the middle of the room. In a moment it fades, and Sora can see a small creature, about half his height, squatting in the middle of the room.

It rises, and the first thing Sora notices is the yellow eyes that peer out from its shadowed face. Sora would know those eyes anywhere.

"Heartless!" Leon cries, grabbing his blade from where it rests on the round table in one corner of the room and wielding it in a two handed grip. Sora responds to this by dropping into his own battle stance, Keyblade clutched tightly. "Get out of here, Yuffie! Find Aerith!"

With a single swing, Leon sends the Heartless crashing out the doors to the room's balcony, and all the way to the street below. He rushes after it immediately, and Sora follows, leaping over the balcony's railing with haste.

In the red room, Telary cautiously approaches the door to the adjoining room, Azlyn right behind him. He gets quite the surprise indeed when the door slams open right into his face and Yuffie rushes in, looking frantic.

"My node!" he cries in anguish, clutching at his once again bleeding face. Wide-eyed, Azlyn rushes to catch him as he falls back in shock. She's too slow though, and instead of keeping the mage upright, both of them fall to the floor.

"What's going on?" Aerith asks her companion worriedly. "Where are Squall and…?"

"No time!" Yuffie says hurriedly, out of breath. "Heartless!" She says all of this without stopping for one moment, and Aerith has no other recourse but to follow her, completely forgetting her guests in all of the excitement.

"Cure!" Telary cries, and for the second time in as many days, the flow of blood from his nose is magically quenched. "Maybe I ought to invest in some kind of helmet…"

"Ow," is all Azlyn can say, sitting up and rubbing her head. "You are a lot heavier than you look, Telary, I can say that much!"

"Sorry," the mage apologizes. After a moment, he looks around the empty room. "Hey, where did everyone go?"

**KH-KH-KH  
**  
Down in the alley, Sora and Leon find themselves up against not only the creature from before, but a trio of its buddies, all decked out in blue and purple bodysuits with the same symbol on their chests, a black heart with a red stitched X in its center, all outlined in red. Their hands end in wicked red claws that are sure to sting if struck with.

They all charge, and both Sora and Leon rush out to fight them right back, each taking two of the Soldiers on themselves.

Sora's first strike lands easily, a clanking sound rising from the Heartless's body. He's surprised that this doesn't result in the creature's immediate defeat, like those before it, but instead of analyzing he merely swings again, then a third time. On the third swing, the creature disappears, a crystalline heart rising from where it once was.

A sharp pain suddenly strikes Sora, and he realizes that in his fervor for fighting the first Heartless, he has left the other an opening.

Turning, he sees the Soldier backing away, and rushes forward with his Keyblade swinging. In three swift hits, the creature is gone.

Turning, Sora sees Leon finishing off his own opponent with a final swing of his odd revolver sword.

"These guys are just small fries," the man says, turning to Sora and resting the blade on his leather-clad shoulder. "But they have a leader somewhere. Find it, and you'll stop them all."

"Where should I look?" Sora asks.

"Could be anywhere," Leon answers with a grunt. "Best if we just split up. I'll take First District, you head to Third, okay?"

"Sure thing!" Sora agrees. He begins to rush off, but before he can go very far he turns back to Leon. "By the way, thanks for…"

But Leon is already gone, off to do his part of the search. Grinning, Sora decides that he'd better fulfill his end as well.  
**  
KH-KH-KH**

Many hard fought battles against both Soldier and Shadow Heartless later, Sora finally arrives in Third District, which is basically just a giant plaza illuminated by neon signs and a large glowing fountain that depicts two dogs gazing at each other lovingly. Sora thinks it's an odd thing to put up in such a public place, but who is he to judge?

Up above the district, on the balcony of another building, Azlyn and Telary have found themselves just a bit lost.

"How did we even get up here?' Azlyn asks no one in particular, though of course Telary doesn't realize she's being rhetorical and answers anyway.

"Well, we kinda just ran across rooftops for a while," the mage explains, though he's not sure why he needs to go over this again.

"Telary, I was being…" Azlyn turns to berate her companion, but instead sees a group of Soldiers gathering behind him. Off his partner's bewildered expression, Telary turns too, and lets out a yelp of surprise, whipping his mage's staff out of its holster at his waist. Azlyn follows suit with her shield. "Oh, boy."

"So do you think these are the Heartless?" Telary asks the knight, gulping loudly at the question's completion.

"I'd say that's not a bad bet," she replies, trying to sound defiant in the face of danger. Internally, she's an odd mixture of scared and pleased. Pleased in that she finally has a chance to test her skills against an actual opponent, and scared for pretty much the same reason, compounded by the fact that she's facing off with evil monsters of pure Darkness.

"Well, Telary!" Azlyn roars, preparing her shield for a strike. "Let's go get 'em!"

Sora, now standing in the very middle of the Third District plaza, swears he can hear something from up above, almost like the noises from a battle. Curious, he looks to the night sky to see what could possibly be going on up there…

A loud yelp pierces the night, followed by a pained yell, and all of the sudden two people, a boy and a girl, are hurtling through the air, right towards Sora.

Panicking, the boy tries to run, but before he can get his feet moving, he's pinned beneath the weight of a battered knight-to-be and mage of Disney Castle.

Not that he knows this, however. All he can feel is a giant weight crushing him into the ground.

Telary is certainly grateful for whatever relatively soft thing he and Azlyn have landed on instead of the hard stone ground, but he's also in a pretty incredible amount of pain, and so elects to just continue staring helplessly at the sky.

Azlyn, however, has a pretty good view of the boy they've managed to land on, but more importantly, she sees what is in his hand. A giant key!

"Telary!" she blurts out, pushing her companion off of her back and rolling onto the plaza's ground. "Look!"

Telary regains focus and sees what it is Azlyn is so excited about.

"The key!" both of them cry in joyous unison.

"What?" Sora asks, sitting up and groaning. Blinking owlishly, he looks over the two people who just so oddly flew out of the sky to crush him. "Who are you? How do you know about my Keyblade?"

Azlyn and Telary stare at each other for a beat, then turn back to Sora.

"Uh, hello there!" Telary says, cheerful but awkward, waving with one hand. "The king sent us to find you."

Sora is perplexed by that answer, but before he can press further, the ground beneath him begins rumbling.

Spurred to action by mutual terror, all three members of the newly formed trio rise simultaneously, weapons all at the ready. As they do, something else rises as well: Giant stone walls that cut off every possible exit point from the plaza, leaving the three new acquaintances all trapped together.

After the walls have reached a height too high to leap over, and impossible to scale, a calm settles over the district.

It doesn't last for long.

Telary is the first to notice the giant purple metal constructs falling from the sky above. Crying out in fear, he quickly herds both Azlyn and the Keyblade boy out of the way, ducking his head for cover.

The metal pieces land on the ground in a heap, shaking it so severely that everyone in the square loses their footing, then bounce immediately back up.

Two hands, two feet, and one giant purple torso with the Heartless symbol displayed prominently on the chest all form up to an approximation of an extremely stocky but intensely well-armored being, legs planted firmly on the ground, but torso and clawed hands floating independently.

In the next second, a large helmet, steely visor closed down, floats gently above the top hole of the torso armor.

The Guard Armor is ready for battle.

"I think the introductions can wait a minute," Azlyn says as the trio all take up battle positions, forming a rough triangle, Sora in front, Azlyn behind and to the right, and Telary behind and to the left.

The Heartless marches towards the trio, both arms swinging. The group scatters, and each member attacks a different body part.

Azlyn goes in against the right arm immediately, jumping up and knocking it so hard with the flat bulk of her shield that it flies away from the rest of the body. Keeping up pursuit, the knight jumps after it again, knocking it twice with the edge of her shield, causing further damage.

Nearby, Telary blasts fire spell after fire spell at the left leg, causing significant damage. A moment later though, the appendage leaps up and slams down towards the mage, rumbling the ground and causing him to lose balance. It then leaps again, hoping to crush its opponent, but Telary is ready for it.

"Reflect!" he cries, creating a solid shield of white light around his person. The angry foot impacts against it and finds its own momentum directed back at it, sending it bursting in a shower of dark energy.

Sora manages to knock away his own armored foot opponent, then attacks it with three strikes as it lies on the ground, helpless. Within a few three hit combos, it disappears too.

Sensing danger, the Guard Armor recalls its remaining limbs, the two hands floating back to close positions on either side of the torso. After a moment they begin to spin, creating a dangerous whirling tornado of death.

The Armor heads after Sora immediately, hoping to neutralize the greatest threat to it, the Keyblade and its wielder.

The Heartless makes quite the mistake by underestimating its other two opponents though.

"That thing is gonna chop that boy into a million tiny pieces!" Telary cries in fear as he watches in horror.

"Not if I have anything to say about it!" Azlyn roars, readying her shield-bearing arm for a throw. "Get a load of this!"

With a loud grunt of triumph and challenge, she hurls her shield forward, sending it flying through the air and directly into the monstrosity's metal head, which it bounces off with a resounding clang.

Startled, Guard Armor turns to face whoever has just knocked it on the noggin. Seeing Azlyn, who is now sticking her tongue out defiantly at the creature, it suddenly forgets its attack on Sora, instead hurtling through the air at the girl who dares to mock it!

At this point, Azlyn realizes that the consequences of her plan are a bit direr than she expected, as the big angry Heartless monster has now decided to target her. And after that throw she's without her shield, so…

"Uh oh!" she says as the Armor approaches, rearing back one arm to strike her down.

It doesn't get the chance, however, because at that moment Sora leaps in and with a mighty swing of the Keyblade, and the arm the Heartless had intended to use disappears into the dark ether.

The other arm tries to compensate, but a lightning bolt comes lancing out of the sky and hits it dead on, destroying it as well.

Now left as just a torso, the Guard Armor begins to spin, gathering speed and ferocity and charging at the trio.

All three run, Azlyn heading directly for her shield, while Telary tosses off a fire spell that merely bounces off the spinning torso. Gulping down his terror, Telary picks up his pace, falling into stride beside Sora.

Azlyn, however, reaches her shield and charges the spinning Heartless, at the last second falling to her back and turning her run into a skid along the ground. Stopping underneath the spinning torso, Azlyn braces her shield in both hands and pushes up, flipping the Heartless over and stopping its spin.

Seeing an opportunity, Sora jumps several feet to the Heartless, and in one final swing of the Keyblade, brings it down.

What's left of the Guard Armor begins to shake, rising into the air as its form begins to unravel. Finally, with a burst of light, a crystalline heart lazily floats from where the Heartless used to be into the night sky before fading away.

All that's left is a quiet square as the stone walls sealing the area crumble, leaving Sora, Azlyn, and Telary, all exhausted from their fight, standing around by each other.

Telary is the first to break the silence, turning to Sora, who is standing just to his right.

"Pleased to meet you!" he says brightly, holding out a hand for the boy to shake. "My name is Telary!"

Sora just stares at the older boy, eyes moving back and forth from his hand to his face in rapid succession.

"Uh, hi," he finally says, extending his own hand and grasping Telary's. "I'm Sora."

Further introductions and explanations follow, and in about ten minutes, Sora is apprised of the situation. Well, minus the parts about being fugitives from justice and on this quest basically as a means to avoid possible permanent imprisonment. Neither Azlyn nor Telary suspect that would go over very well.

"So, you two were looking for me?" Sora asks, a bit incredulous at being sought after by two obviously very powerful and highly respected individuals.

"Yep," Telary answers cheerfully, almost over the top excited by the fact that he and Azlyn's first hurdle in possibly returning to Disney Castle has been cleared. "And I really cannot stress enough how glad we are to find you!"

"Now you can come with us to other worlds while we look for the king!" Azlyn adds, a bit more subdued but obviously pleased at this development. "We've got a ship for it and everything!"

"Other worlds, huh?" Sora says, scratching at his chin. "I wonder if I could find Riku and Kairi out there. I mean, I'm pretty sure they aren't here at this point, so…"

"Exactly!" Azlyn chimes in brightly, hoping to end the boy's indecision and get this show on the road properly. "I'm sure you'll find your friends somewhere out there in the big wide universe, if you come along with us!"

Telary, a bit miffed by his counterpart's sudden brightness and willingness to help out a stranger, shoots her a questioning look, but she just returns a bit of a scowl, probably indicating that this isn't a great time to ask questions. Trusting her, for now, he says nothing, instead opting to just nod along. The idea is making the rather sad boy in front of them brighten up a little, and the mage is glad to see that, at any rate.

"I guess so," he says, staring a bit dejectedly at the ground.

"Hey now!" Telary says by way of intervention. "You can't come with us looking all sad like that! In fact, a frown like that will bring the Gummi ship crashing straight down! It runs on happiness, you see!"

Now it's Azlyn's turn to look at her counterpart like he's lost his mind, but he ignores her and keeps going, gesturing even bigger.

"So get that frown off your face, and give us a great big smile huh? Like this!" At this point the mage stretches his face into a comically wide grin, nudging Azlyn with an elbow and encouraging her to do the same. At first she looks ready to punch him, but after a moment she joins in, though her grin is considerably smaller.

Looking at the try-hard goofy faces of his new friends, Sora can't help but want to please them. So, taking a deep breath, Sora gathers all of his stray positivity, channels it into the widest grin he can muster, and looks up…

Azlyn and Telary both nearly go into fits at his cheesy grin and widened eyes. Only seconds later, Sora joins in with the laughter. They laugh for almost a full minute before any of them can manage to recover.

"Okay, I'll go with you guys!" Sora says amicably, a more subdued grin coming to his face. His oldest and best friends may be missing, but he's willing to bet that he'll become plenty close with these two as well.

"The name's Azlyn."

"Telary!"

"And I'm Sora!"

Telary and Azlyn both stick out their right hands in a gesture that they've seen Donald, Goofy, and the king perform many times. Sora's not exactly sure what's happening, but he puts his hand out too, forming a pile in the middle of the trio.

"All for One…" Azlyn begins.

"And One for All!" Telary concludes.

It feels like the start of something truly amazing.


	5. Blast Off

The image of Sora, Azlyn, and Telary with their hands together freezes above the scrying pool, tinted a sickly green color by the dark magics being focused on it.

"Well whaddya know?" chuckles a fast-talking voice belonging to a man with hair of blue fire. "That little pipsqueak did it! He beat that Heartless but good. Almost makes ya wanna bet on his horse, eh fellas?"

"Hardly," comments the nasally voice of a well-dressed man clutching a golden staff with the head of a snake carved at its tip. "It was the power of the Keyblade that allowed the boy to win the day, not his own strength."

"And he had help from those two Disney Castle folk, besides!" a man wearing an enormous red hat adds on. "They look a bit young for the king's lackeys, though. Mayhaps the good king of Disney Castle has himself a bit of a staffing problem, if he's sending bilge rats like these children to do his dirty work!"

"We should just make Heartless out of the lot of them," a boisterous female voice suggests, the sound of dripping water coming off her many appendages. "That'll end things quickly."

"Quicker than you ended your last diet, honey bunches!" a teasing voice erupts from a truly disgusting mouth.

"Why you flatulent sack of bugs…!"

"Enough, you two," scolds the leader of this less than merry band, finally rising from the throne where she had sat above the rest as they observed events unfolding in Traverse Town, reminding all in attendance of her authority on this dark council. "It does us no good to fight amongst ourselves. Not when the real enemy is out there."

"As I have said before," the man with the staff, the nominal second in command of the group, sneers, "the child will be no threat to us. None shall defeat us. Not with the Heartless under our command."

"I would temper your arrogance were I you, my friend," the woman cautions, waving the thin staff she clutches in her green-skinned hand for emphasis. "After all, the Keyblade has chosen this boy as its wielder. Would it not have done so if he was anything less than worthy? I should think not."

"Yeah, trust me," the flame-haired man chimes in. "I know something about these 'chosen one, unlikely hero' things, been on the bad end of plenty of them myself. If that brat has a Keyblade, then there's a reason."

"Exactly," the leader agrees. She stops her contemplative stride in front of the scrying pool, gazing deeply into the still image of the heroic trio. Her lips purse in thought. "The power of the Keyblade is his to command. Can he use it to conquer the Darkness, or will Darkness conquer him? Only time will tell. Now, please, be away."

With a dismissive wave of her massive black and purple cloak, the witch turns to depart.

"I have a guest to entertain, after all."

And deep in the dark dungeons of the twisted castle, a scared, lonely, and confused silver haired boy lies shivering in the cold darkness.  
**  
KH-KH-KH**

The newly formed trio all meet up with Leon, Yuffie, and Aerith in the main square of First District. Leon reports that, thanks to the group's efforts in defeating the Guard Armor, there were no casualties in the large scale Heartless attack. Sora's happy to hear it, glad that he's taken his first steps towards using the Keyblade for heroism.

"Make sure to be careful out there, Sora," Leon says, addressing the entire trio but looking specifically at Sora. "We don't know far exactly the Heartless have spread, but I'm sure the Heartless out there are even worse than the ones crawling around here."

"Don't worry, we'll be on the lookout," Sora assures the older man.

Aerith steps forward then, something behind her back. Azlyn hears clinking, faint but definitely there. She perks up a little at the sound, a grin starting to spread. Telary notices it out of the corner of his eye, but beyond giving her a strange look that she doesn't even register, he says nothing to his counterpart.

"We're not sure if you'll need this, on your travels," the young woman says, withdrawing the hand behind her back and revealing a small coin purse that jangles when it moves. "We pooled together all that we could manage…"

"I stole some of it!" Yuffie announces happily, earning her a dark look of admonishment from Leon, to which she just shrugs.

"Yes, well, here you go," Aerith finishes lamely, holding the purse out to Sora. It's Azlyn who steps in to grab it, however.

"It's best if I keep this," she says, secreting the purse away into the pocket of her hoodie. "I'm pretty good with munny, so…"

Everyone else looks at Telary, who just nods, grinning a bit sheepishly. Azlyn _is _pretty good at handling munny. In fact, she takes great pleasure in handling as much as she can get her hands on.

"Well that's everything!" Aerith says cheerfully. "I hope we will be seeing the three of you soon."

"Don't get killed!" Yuffie chimes in brightly, a big goofy grin on her face. "I hear that sucks."

"Do be careful out there, you three," Leon says in all seriousness, nodding at the trio solemnly. "Look out for each other. Please."

"Don't worry Leon," Sora assures the leather-clad man, holding his fist out. "We'll watch each other's backs. And I'll see you again in no time, I'm sure."

Leon bumps his knuckles against Sora's, giving him the first genuine smile he's seen on the man's face since they met.

"Thank you for everything, really," Telary says sincerely, before turning and falling in step with the other two, on their way to the Gummi ship.  
**  
KH-KH-KH**

The Gummi ship basically blows Sora's mind. Just looking at the massive orange vessel nearly does the boy in. By the time he's shown inside, he's pretty much vibrating with excitement and an enthusiasm that borders on childish.

"This is the kinda common room, I guess," Telary explains as Sora emerges from the ladder to the cargo bay/entrance, gesturing all around at the main area of the ship's mid-deck that leads pretty much anywhere else on the ship one might want to go.

"Where am I supposed to sleep?" Sora asks, though judging by the way he's looking about with glee, it won't be any time soon that he'll be feeling like laying down.

"The cabins are back this way," Azlyn says, leading him toward the hall with four rooms branching off of it. Sora gets the second on the left, which is small but homey, with a bed, desk, wooden chair, and chest of drawers all provided. The door to a small bathroom is open on the far wall.

"Wow, you shouldn't have," Sora says under his breath, not wanting to be rude, but not particularly impressed either.

Azlyn hears him, but decides not to comment. No need to get antagonistic with the only person capable of saving their bacon. And apparently the collective bacon of the universe, to boot.

"It isn't much, but trust me, things aren't any better for the rest of us," is all she decides to say before heading back out to the door. "You can sleep if you want, but we're gonna take off in a few minutes, and I doubt you'll want to miss that."

"Definitely not!" Sora replies with an eager grin, flopping down onto his bed and taking a moment to survey the small room once more from this position. "Just give me a minute to… Hey, you wouldn't happen to have a spare toothbrush laying around, would you?"

"Uh, it's in the bathroom, I think," she says. "Along with some toothpaste. Hurry up though. I won't stall liftoff just because you're being pokey."

"Um, okay."

Azlyn closes the door as gently as she can after stepping into the hall, makes a quick detour to hang her shield on the wall of her own cabin, and then heads up to the cockpit to check on Telary's progress.

"Please tell me that No-Go-Back program thingy is still running," she pleads, moving to stand by Telary's shoulder and watch his fingers manipulate the nav computer. With a final pull of a big lever next to his command chair, the ship begins to rumble to life.

"Sure is," Telary assures her, now beginning the actual preparations for lift-off. "It's set up to run passively, so it'll work whether or not the computer is actually on, barring some sort of catastrophic damage to the actual hardware."

"Good," Azlyn sighs, sinking into her own chair. "I'd hate to have all our work go to waste like that."

"So you're gonna lie to this boy too, huh?" Jiminy's scolding voice says accusatorily, leaping up onto the computer board and causing Telary to let out a yelp of terror. "Just let him keep on thinking you're something you're not?"

Azlyn rubs her forehead for a moment in frustration. "That's the plan, for the foreseeable future."

Jiminy huffs in displeasure, then looks to Telary, who he hopes will be easier to appeal to reasonably. "C'mon, Telary. You know this ain't the right thing to do. Just telling the boy the truth won't hurt, y'know. Besides, won't it be easier to explain things now, instead of when things inevitably go wrong?"

Telary sees the logic in Jiminy's perspective, but at the same time, he worries that confessing their lies to Sora could lead to something going horribly wrong on the mission.

"Honestly, I'm not sure what I want to do," the mage confesses, sighing deeply and sinking back in his chair. "But for now, I think Azlyn has a point. Sora clearly needs to think that someone with authority is in charge of this mission. It'll keep him calm, let him know that he doesn't have to worry about things."

"Worry about what?" Sora's voice asks, rising from the ladder to the lower deck, looking curious, but also sneaking a lot of glances at the amazing technology all around him.

"Don't worry about it," Azlyn says with a smirk. "Just take a seat and enjoy liftoff!"

Sora looks a bit confused, but instead of saying anything further he just takes a seat in the third chair of the cockpit.

"Before we get underway, Sora, I'd like you to meet someone," Telary says, gesturing to the cricket on the dashboard.

Sora nearly goes cross-eyed looking at the tiny insect dressed in a top hat and tails. For a moment he can't believe his eyes.

"Hello there, Sora!" the tiny chronicler says by way of greeting, jumping up with a wide grin. "The name's Jiminy Cricket, Royal Chronicler for Queen Minnie of Disney Castle! Nice to meet you!"

He holds out his tiny gloved hand for a shake. After a moment of shocked staring, Sora holds out his pinky finger to the cricket, who grips it in both hands and gives it a vigorous pump.

"Uh, hi, Mr. Cricket," the boy says nervously. Even given the bizarre events of the last day, he certainly hasn't prepared for conversing with a bug! "How, uh, how do you do?"

Jiminy chuckles at the boy's obvious bereavement. "Don't you worry about bein' nervous there, Sora. I'm sure that in time we'll be the best of friends." He pauses for a pointed look at Azlyn and Telary. "Able to tell each other anything."

Both Disney Castle escapees turn sheepishly back to their control boards. Azlyn actually starts whistling, a cheery tune she's heard King Mickey toot from time to time.

"Are, uh, are we gonna lift off soon?" Sora asks, turning back to his new companions with an eager look.

"As a matter of fact, I think all systems are go for launch!" Telary announces, pressing a few final buttons and gripping the control yoke with both hands. "Why don't you do the ignition honors though, eh Sora?"

"Is that okay for me to do?" Sora asks, nervous that he might do something wrong. "I don't really have much experience with… Well, rocket science!"

"Do you see that blue button, just above the big red one?"

"Uh, yeah."

"Press it down, and we'll be good to go!"

Nervous but excited, emotions swirling around inside of him, Sora closes his eyes and jams his finger down on the button.

Unfortunately, it isn't the correct one.

The warning lights indicating emergency launch begin to cycle on overhead, casting a red pall over the entire cockpit.

"You moron!" Azlyn screams, standing up to prepare to lunge at the boy. Sadly for her, but luckily for the Keybearer, it's at that moment the Gummi ship drops out into the vastness of space.

Telary is strapped in properly, and therefore just gets the feeling he's on a particularly violent roller coaster. The others aren't so lucky, flying up and hitting the Gummiglass canopy above. Hard.

After a few moments of falling that nevertheless feel eternal, the ship settles, and everyone crashes back to the floor. The only sounds in the cockpit for about half a minute are the pained groans of those not strapped in during the botched launch.

"Memo to everyone," Telary says nervously when the noises finally wind down to silence, "always wear a seatbelt."


	6. Go Ask Alice

Even an hour after liftoff, Sora still cannot stop staring up at the flashing colors of Gummi space that pass by the ship's cockpit, fascinated by the many swirls and whorls of colors that penetrate the predominantly blue expanse.

His elation is tempered, of course, by how much he is missing his friends, wondering where in this vast universe they could possibly be, whether they are together or apart, and if there's even a remote possibility that Sora can find them. He hopes so, and that it happens soon.

Added to an already messy jumble of emotions is the burden that has come with the arrival of the Keyblade into his hands. It's clear that the weapon, or tool, or whatever it truly is, has suddenly made him a very important player on a massive stage. So while part of him is of course concerned for his friends' wellbeing, he also hopes that perhaps their presence along this journey to find the king will help bring him to peace with his new role, whatever it ultimately ends up being.

A loud noise rips through the ship's cockpit suddenly, and Sora turns away from the vastness of space outside the window for a moment to turn and look for its source.

It's Azlyn, who has fallen asleep in her chair, behind and to the left of where Telary is piloting, though it seems all he's doing right now is holding the steering yoke steady. That loud snore is followed by several softer ones, indicating a deep sleep that Sora is far too excited and scared to even contemplate attempting to enter himself.

These two are certainly rather odd ducks, if what he's seen of them so far is any indication of their full personalities.

Azlyn had given the boy quite an earful after his mishap with the launch, and honestly there were several times he was sure the girl was going to strike him. It almost makes him worry for the future. Despite her initial enthusiasm and her offer to help him in his search, it also seems that she is a bit wary of him, like there's something she isn't telling him the whole truth of.

She looks young too, almost of an age with Sora himself, but he dismisses that idea as ridiculous. Who has ever heard of a sixteen year old knight?

Telary is an entirely different matter. Though unfailingly polite, he had done nothing but look like he wanted to sink back into his chair and disappear entirely during his partner's tirade, too timid to say anything. Still, he hadn't seemed angry at all about the incident, just wanting to make certain that everyone involved was okay.

They're an odd pair, and it will take some time to work out how to best blend their three personalities, but Sora remains optimistic that in no time they will not only be comfortable around each other, but great friends as well.

To that end, and to break the odd silence that is leaving him with nothing to do but sit and contemplate, Sora decides to satisfy some of his curiosity about the Gummi ship via Telary.

"So, uh, Mr. Telary," he says, "how do you know where it is we're going? Do you have a place in mind, or…?"

"Oh, uh, well Sora," the mage replies, looking flustered but also happy to have someone to talk to, especially on a subject he himself is so passionate about, "I've just set the navigational computer, that's this thing right in front of me, to seek out the nearest mass in space that gives off the energy signature that a world does."

"So you don't know where we're going?"

"Well, not as such, no." He looks a bit sheepish now, his hands rubbing up and down the control yoke's two handlebars.

"Oh, I just thought that maybe you like, knew what was in this part of space or something," Sora says quietly, leaning back into his chair a little bit. "Sorry to bother you, sir."

"You don't need to call me that," Telary tells Sora, more to combat his own residual discomfort at lying to the boy than anything else. "Just call me Telary. Same goes for Azlyn. Don't think of us as, like, your commanding officers or anything. We're more like friends, really, or, we will be, if we get to know each other better. Which I hope we will. After all, I'm not your commanding officer or anything…"

"You just said that," Sora points out, sending Telary's mouth snapping shut, the babbling thankfully at an end.

"So I did," the pilot chuckles nervously. Silence returns to the cockpit, Azlyn's gentle sleep sounds notwithstanding.

Things remain that way for a long time, and eventually, despite his nerves and excitement, Sora finds himself asleep.  
_  
He's back in the secret cave as it once was, lit by the tiny rays of sun penetrating the small holes and breaks in the rock overhead. He stands by the drawing of him and Kairi that he had improved the day of the Heartless attack. The last day he'd seen her._  
_  
She's in front of him now though, giggling at his sudden appearance. She's standing right by a drawing she had done when she was about six, of a smiling boy with lightly spiked hair. Sora and Riku had argued for nearly an hour about which of them the drawing was supposed to be of, but Kairi had finally settled the matter by telling them that it was neither. Just some boy, even she wasn't entirely sure who._  
_  
"So you think you can find me, huh?" Kairi asks, brushing her fingertips against the chalk-covered walls. "Find me, and Riku, and get us all back together again. Just like things were."_  
_  
"I don't know," Sora sighs, leaning up against the rock wall behind him. "I hope so. I miss you so much. Riku too."_  
_  
"I know," the girl replies, nodding. A moment later her grin fades, settling into a more worried expression. "But remember what I said, okay? Remember the thalassa charm. Even though we're apart, I'm with you. I'm always right where you are."_  
_  
"I remember Kairi. I just wish that were really true."_  
_  
She takes a few steps towards him, but stops just short of where he could reach out a hand and touch her. He tries to move forward too, meet her in the middle of the cave, but his legs feel like cinder blocks. He can't move them, can't get to where Kairi is. She's right in front of him, but impossible to reach._  
_  
"Oh, Sora. You can just be so dense sometimes."_

"…Like a big ol' rock!" comes a jarring voice that is definitely not Kairi's, jolting Sora awake and back to reality.

He opens his eyes to see Azlyn standing over him, hands on hips and looking impatient. He must have actually managed to fall asleep.

"Seriously, I could have run around banging pots together and you wouldn't have woken up," the knight continues, still scowling.

"C'mon Azlyn," Telary basically whines, upset by his friend's once again unnecessary temperament. "Give the guy a break, he's had a rough day."

Azlyn sighs and looks back down at Sora. "Sorry, that may have been overkill. But, anyway, we're at the next world."

"We are!" Sora cries out in excitement, looking out the cockpit's window for a glimpse of this new world.

All he sees are some kind of oddly patterned walls, extending out for what looks like miles, so far that he can't see where exactly they end.

"I landed us in a tunnel," Telary explains as the boy rises, eager to get moving outside and really experience another new world, search for Riku and Kairi there. Maybe even find them. "It looks pretty long, but if we just keep a good pace and stay together I…"

The mage stops mid-explanation, realizing too late that both of his companions have already left, no doubt eager to get out and explore.

"Keep an eye on the ship, Jiminy!" Telary calls to the cricket as he races across the ship's middle deck to the ladder to the cargo bay. The tiny chronicler is scribbling something in his journal, but manages to look up long enough to give Telary a thumbs up.

Azlyn and Sora are waiting by the open ramp, staring down the long tunnel ahead, both with awed looks on their faces at the challenge of this new, unknown place staring them down.

"This thing looks endless!" Sora murmurs, his voice a mixture of awe, uncertainty, and sheer weariness at the thought of walking for maybe miles and miles.

"Don't worry," Telary says by way of assurance. "It can't go on forever. I can guarantee you that never in our lifetimes will we have to face an endless road."

"Well, no use waiting!" Azlyn says with bravado, marching down to the end of the ramp, every stride completely confident, like this is a path she's traveled many times, an old friend.

Which is why it's kind of ironically humorous when her first step off the ramp's edge sends her plummeting into a freefall.

Shocked, Sora and Telary rush after her, Telary stopping short just on the edge of the ramp and reaching out an arm to stop Sora from going any further as well.

"She just… She…" Sora stutters, incredulous. He'd imagined that he'd encounter a great deal of odd things on this journey through the universe, but places that made someone disappear the moment they set foot on them were certainly not something he'd counted on.

"Yeah," Telary agrees numbly, his breathing becoming more erratic every moment he stares down at the ground just beyond the ramp.

"What do we do?"

"Um," Telary gulps, pursing his lips while he thinks of what to say to assure his young new companion. Finally, he realizes that there's only one thing they can do. Telary takes a deep breath in preparation before turning to Sora. "We go after her."

After a moment of hesitation, Sora nods. Steeling himself, he prepares to walk off the ramp.

He's stopped once again by Telary before he can. The mage is holding out a hand to the Keyblade wielder. "Here, take my hand. We'll go together."

With a nod and a grin, Sora does so. A moment later, both take a single step forward…

And find themselves falling.

Looking around they can see that they're clearly in the same tunnel, but that it has transformed from horizontal to vertical in the moment it took for them to step off the Gummi ship's ramp. In fact, if they squint, they can even make out the Gummi ship clinging to the tunnel's wall further up, facing downward.

They're also falling remarkably gently, almost floating down on a cushion of air.

Turning, they can see the ground coming up towards them, Azlyn standing around looking up at the pair of them. Shifting position, they land together on their feet.

"Why are you two holding hands?" Azlyn giggles, a pleasantly amused look in her eye, perhaps the most positive emotion Sora has seen the girl display since she grabbed Aerith's munny in Traverse Town. And even that is at his own expense.

"Nothing!" the boy yells defensively, dropping Telary's hand like it's suddenly become scalding hot. Telary frowns.  
"Whatever," she says dismissively, waving her hand in front of her as if to clear the subject from the air. "That was one wild ride though, right?"

"Yeah, definitely," Telary agrees, in his head still trying to figure out the logic of what had just happened. Some kind of teleportation, or maybe a magical gravity shift? Whatever the answer might be, he decides to let the subject drop. No matter how he looks at it, it just doesn't make sense.

The trio are standing in a dimly lit circular room, the huge shaft above them creating the odd effect of being at the bottom of the well. There is no furniture visible, but painted on the red and orange tiled floor is a remarkably detailed likeness of a long pink couch, and two boxes full of flowers. The walls are done in red brick, and a few paintings hang on them. The only exit leads down a similarly decorated hallway, the portal framed by red velvet drapes.

"Well, this is it," Azlyn says, crossing her arms and giving everything another once-over. "A brand new world, and it's weird as hell."

Suddenly, the sound of pattering feet comes rushing towards the group, until a large white rabbit in a red waistcoat rushes past, checking his absurdly large gold pocket watch as he runs down the hall. His tiny spectacles look to be in danger of falling right off his nose.

"Oh, I'm late, I'm late, I'm LATE!" the rabbit cries as he flees, a truly terrified look plastered on his face. Whatever he's late for, it looks like there will be consequences when he gets there. "If I'm late, the queen will have my head for sure, oh dear!"

This tirade continues as the furry little guy continues down the hall and out of sight.

"So…" Telary says just to break up the silence that ensues after the rabbit's passing.

"I wonder what that rabbit's late for," Sora says curiously, already moving to follow. "Or why the queen's gonna chop his head off when he gets there!"

"How could a queen do something so despicable?" Telary wonders aloud as the group sets off down the hall. "I can't even imagine Queen Minnie _ever _chopping anyone's head off for any reason, espescially not being late."

"Well, it _is _important to keep high standards under one's rule," Azlyn argues jokingly, a bit miffed herself by the thought of a beheading.

"Maybe the queen knows if Riku and Kairi are here!" Sora mutters to himself hopefully. "Wouldn't it be awesome if I found them at the first world I came to?"

"I guess the king could be here too," Azlyn says to Telary with a quick shrug.

"Yeah, maybe. But I can't exactly see him palling around with a queen who likes to chop peoples' heads off!" Telary points out.

Finally the party reach a door at the end of the hall. Sora grips the handle and pulls it open, only to find a slightly shorter door underneath. Miffed, Sora opens it, only to discover a third, even smaller door beneath it! This door is locked when he tries the knob.

"Huh, it's locked," he points out kind of obviously, frowning at the door.

"Yeah, gee," Azlyn pipes up snarkily from behind him, "if only we had a great big key that could open any lock!"

"Oh, uh, right!" The Keyblade appears in Sora's hand in a burst of light. He stands there for a moment afterwards.

"Well…?" Azlyn says.

"Uh, okay," Sora says, psyching himself up. Taking a step back, he holds the Keyblade up to the door, tip extended to the knob. "Uh, GO KEYBLADE GO!"

Nothing happens.

"Very impressive," Azlyn deadpans behind him.

"Okay, so I don't…" Just as Sora's lowering the Keyblade, the tip hits the door. Suddenly a bright flash sparks from the point of impact, and a loud _click _noise can be heard ringing out from the door. After a moment of bewilderment, Sora reaches over to the door and twists the knob open easily, finally exposing another room beyond. He turns back to his companions. "See? Just like I planned!"

"Good job Sora!" Telary says encouragingly as the trio ducks to enter the next room, which is large and covered in haphazard objects, the right side mostly dominated by a large stone fireplace in which no fire blazes. Like in the room before, a blue table and chair are painted onto the purple and white tiled floor.

The rabbit is still in the room, still running and crying out fearfully that he's late, and the queen will have his head.

Only now he appears to be about ten inches tall.

The rabbit runs into a door about his size, and closes it shut after him, ending his panicked noise and leaving the trio alone in a small room there seems to be no way out of other than the little door or from whence they'd just come.

"You guys saw that tiny rabbit too, right?" Sora asks, hoping that it isn't just the trauma of the past few days catching up to him.

"Yep," Telary replies.

"Good." Bending down to his knees, Sora examines the tiny door the rabbit exited through, trying to look at it from all angles. "How did he get so small?"

"Perhaps you're simply too large," a drowsy voice replies.

The entire trio freezes, looking around for the source of that mysterious comment.

"Down here!"

Turning towards the source of the sound, all six of the trio's eyes rest on the tiny door, more specifically the doorknob, which now that they look at it, has its own face, though the mouth is slacking open and its eyelids are drooping.

"It talks!" Azlyn exclaims, dumbfounded. "The doorknob is talking to us!" The others cry out in surprise as well.

The doorknob winces. "Would you three mind keeping it down, hm? You've woken me up!"

"Um, good morning?" Telary says cautiously, giving a little nervous wave.

"Good night!" the knob replies, yawning and letting its eyes drift closed once more.

"Wait!" Sora cries, sending the eyelids floating back up until they're only half-closed. "You didn't tell us how the rabbit got so small."

"He used the bottle."

Behind the group there is a sudden puff of smoke. Telary cries out as he feels something hit him on the butt. He leaps forward in shock, knocking into Azlyn, who falls smack on top of Sora, sending the trio to the floor in a pile.

"Oh, dear me you three make a lot of noise!" the knob complains, even as it yawns once more and closes its eyes again. In moments, it begins to snore quietly.

"What are you doing, Tel?" Azlyn admonishes the mage, her words muffled by Sora's hair, which her face currently rests in.

"Sorry," he apologizes, regaining his footing. "I think something smacked me on, um, well, on my butt."

"Whaddya mean…?" Turning, the knight sees that the blue table and chair have now sprung into the third dimension. "Now how did that happen?"

"This place is weird," Sora mutters as he stands and approaches the table. Two bottles sit on it: one blue and filled with orange liquid, the other orange and filled with blue liquid. "What's this stuff?"

The doorknob is snoring in blissful sleep once again, so Azlyn kicks it, yelling, "Wake up!"

"Oh, bother!" the knob whines, opening its eyes and looking up at the scowling girl. "Now that was entirely uncalled for."

"I apologize for my friend's behavior," Telary says sincerely, hunkering down and looking the doorknob straight in the still-droopy eyes. "But we really would like to know how to get small like that rabbit."

"Oh, well if that's all," the doorknob replies, sounding haughty now. "You just have to drink what's in the bottle there. The blue."

None of the trio, but espescially Telary, think that drinking strange things from bottles because doorknobs recommend it is a good idea, but it's still the only lead they've got.

"What's it gonna cost us?" Azlyn asks, ever wary of getting swindled, by furniture of all things.

"Nothing," the doorknob replies with a big yawn. "As long as you three kindly just LET ME SLEEP!"

"Okay, sir, uh, Doorknob," Telary promises the little brass face. "Once again, we're terribly…"

The apology is cut off by a loud snore.

Rising again, Telary joins the other two at the table, and all three proceed to stare cautiously at the pair of bottles, as if waiting for some sign that they will in fact perform as advertised.

"So I guess we'd better just try it!" Sora says, grabbing the blue bottle and raising it too his mouth.

"Wait!" Telary cries at the last second, stopping Sora with an enthusiastic wave of his hand. "The doorknob said we had to drink the blue liquid, and that's in the orange bottle."

"No, he definitely said the blue bottle!" Sora argues, though he's not really even sure if he's right or not at the moment.

"He didn't say the blue _bottle_, though, Sora! He might have meant the blue _liquid_, which is in that orange bottle," Telary counters. After a few seconds of facing off, Sora reluctantly lowers the blue bottle.

"Maybe we should ask him again…" Sora suggests.

"And have to pay munny for this crap?" Azlyn rages. "No thank you! I say, screw it!"

Snatching up the blue bottle even as Telary yells out to stop her, Azlyn takes a big gulp of the liquid, then slams it back on the table.

All three wait with baited breath.

"Well that was a complete…" is all Azlyn manages to get out before the knight begins to shrink, clothes and all, only s  
stopping when she reaches ten inches.

"I guess it's the blue bottle then!" Sora says with a grin, taking a big swig of his own. In moments he begins to shrink too, until he's the same relative height to Azlyn again.

Telary takes up the bottle for himself, but hesitates before taking a drink of his own. He takes a few moment too long, apparently, because after that he feels a tiny but hard pain on his shin. Looking down, he sees that Azlyn must have kicked him! Now she looks up at him impatiently.

Plugging his nose against the taste, the mage takes a dainty sip of the orange liquid and places it back on the table. Moments later, he's shrunk too.

"Finally, we can move on!" Azlyn says, marching over to the tiny door.

Snores and various grunting sounds indicate that the doorknob has indeed returned to the land of dreams, his eyes closed peacefully.

"Maybe we shouldn't disturb him again," Telary suggests, looking around for another exit. Finally he spots a nearby hole in the wall. "Hey guys, this way!"

Azlyn joins him in his walk to the hole, but Sora remains rooted in place, staring contemplatively at the doorknob.

In his mind's eye, he can see the door without a handle back in the secret cave, remembering it bursting open as darkness flooded out. The last time he saw Kairi.

Sora can't imagine Kairi would have liked this world much, as twisted and insane as it had proven so far. Despite her knowledge of sailing legends, and belief in charms, she really was a girl who like things to be laid out logically. To make sense.

"C'mon, Sora!" Azlyn yells as she and Telary enter the hole in the wall.

Shaking off his contemplations, Sora jogs after his companions, leaving thoughts of Kairi behind for the moment.

The hole in the wall eventually leads the trio to a leafy wall, with light shining through the gaps in the leaves. All three of them stop and stare for a moment, until Azlyn sighs deeply and forges on ahead, the other two following a moment later.

They now find themselves in a grassy lane, surrounded by green shrubs on two sides. Hearing a loud but controlled murmur, the group follows the noise to a large, heart shaped arch of greenery, covered in red roses that seem to be dripping paint.

Beyond the arch they see what appears to be an outdoor courtroom: witness stand, raised judge's pavilion and all. To the side is a large box, like stands in an arena, the seats occupied by eleven tiny clams with almost cuddly faces, and a very large mustachioed walrus, who's checking the time on a small pocket watch much like the one the rabbit had been obsessing over.

In the witness box stands a blonde girl in a blue dress and white apron, looking frightened as she faces the judge, a large and imperious woman dressed in a gown of red and black. A crown rests in the black hair on her head, and in one strangely tiny hand she clutches a short scepter with a red heart on the end.

Flanking the whole procedure is a phalanx of men with red and black playing card torsos, all holding axes or lances at strict attention.

"What was in that bottle?" Azlyn mutters to herself.

Wonderland

Suddenly, the white rabbit bursts forth from a hedge, runs up a set of stairs to a wooden platform, and takes a mighty blow on a large golden horn. All the murmuring from the clams comes to a halt at the sound.

"Hear ye, hear ye!" the rabbit bellows. "The court of Wonderland is now in session. Her majesty, the noble Queen of Hearts, presiding!"

"A trial!" the blonde girl on the stand says incredulously, sounding so shocked and worried that it almost physically hurts Sora to hear. "But, why would _I _be on trial!?"

"You want to know why!" the Queen of Hearts bellows, waving her scepter through the air angrily. "You're on trial for being a sneaky little thief, that's why. And if you must know, I think you're guilty as sin! Yes, you are the culprit, I have no doubt about that."

"Why?"

"Because… Well, because I say so. _That's _why, you little minx!"

"This is incredibly unfair!" the girl argues, slamming her hand down on the lip of the witness podium. "Just because you're the queen, doesn't mean you have a right to act so mean!"

The queen yells something back, but Sora hardly hears it, already in his mind forming a plan to help the girl out. He knows he could take a few of the playing card soldiers, and Azlyn could probably easily mop up the rest.

"Whoa there, kiddo!" Azlyn says, interrupting his strategizing. "I see that look on your face, and I'm telling you, this is no time to be a hero."

"C'mon!" Sora shoots back, turning to the knight and throwing his arms up in the air angrily. "It's obvious that girl isn't getting a fair trial. We have to help her out."

"Absolutely not!" Azlyn argues right back, poking the boy in the chest with an authoritative finger. "I know it doesn't seem right, but we can't just go around poking our noses into affairs on other worlds."

"She's right, Sora," Telary agrees reluctantly, wringing his hands nervously. "Part of visiting other worlds is understanding that we can't interfere with their natural order. If we do that…"

"We're screwed, is what we are!" Azlyn finishes. For a moment Sora glares at the knight with intense anger, but he soon moves his gaze back to the trial.

The queen is blathering on with gusto, and every member of the jury, plus the white rabbit, is nodding along with her every word. The sight fills Sora with unspeakable rage, but he has decided to abide by the rules his companions have set forth. After all, they are high-ranking members of the Disney Castle staff.

"…Not to mention your hideous taste in dresses!" her royal majesty finishes, banging the butt of her scepter on her podium like a gavel. "And now, for the verdict. Would the jury like a moment?"

Things are silent for a moment as all the clams look nervously at one another, then finally all of their eyes move to the walrus, apparently the foreman in this case.

Sweating bullets, the aquatic mammal rises from his seat. "No, ma'am, I think we've heard quite enough. In the case of, er, Little Blonde-Haired Girl v. The State of Wonderland as governed by her majesty the Queen of Hearts, we declare the defendant to be… Well, whatever the queen says!"

The blonde girl scoffs indignantly at this development, and Sora feels Azlyn grab his arm to keep him in place, which is the only thing that keeps him from bursting from concealment and breaking up this kangaroo court by force.

"Well, in that case," the queen says haughtily, smiling cruelly, "I declare, in all my wisdom and sense of fair play, that this unfortunately dressed little girl IS GUILTY!"

The rest of the court cheers loudly at this decree, except the defendant, whose mouth simply falls open in shock.

Sora struggles against Azlyn, but her grip is too firm. Telary watches it all nervously from behind, biting his nails in abject fear.

"For the heinous crime, of attempted theft of my heart, I hereby sentence you to…"

With one last desperate tug upon hearing the crime the girl is charged with, Sora breaks away from Azlyn, leaving a nasty red imprint of the knight's hand on his wrist.

"Now wait just a…!" Rushing forward, Sora forgets to compensate for the loss of Azlyn's weight struggling against him and stumbles forward into the courtroom, landing in the middle of two full aisles of weapon-wielding cards. He rises to his feet a second later, all eyes fixed on him. "Stop the court! I, uh, I object!"

Behind the foliage of the arch, Azlyn clenches her teeth in anger, hands twisting into furious fists. She looks so angry that Telary actually takes a fearful step back.

"Who are you, boy?" the Queen of Hearts bellows amidst all the gasps from the jury box. "And what makes you think you have the right to come into _my_ court and start making objections?"

Surrounded as he is, Sora takes a second to nervously look around. As he suspected, everyone is staring at him, like a dream where he's forgotten to wear clothes. But when he sees the curious but hopeful eyes of the girl on trial looking at him, he swallows his fear and stands straight.

"That girl is innocent!" he proclaims, much to the shock of everyone assembled, who have never heard _anyone _ever even dare to question the queen before. "She didn't try to take your heart, and we can prove it!"

"Oh, really?" the queen almost spits, crossing her arms imperiously and leaning back in her chair. "And just who is this _we _you speak of?"

Sora turns back to where Azlyn and Telary are concealed, a hopeful look on his face. Sighing deeply, Azlyn emerges in plain view of the court. Two seconds later her hand disappears behind the archway and comes back with Telary's sleeve in her grip. The pair step forward to stand behind Sora.

"Well, I still haven't the foggiest idea how you mean to save this little girl from her entirely appropriate punishment," the queen says smugly, resting her fleshy chin in one cupped hand.

"Oh yeah?" Sora counters. "Well, we know who the real culprit is. It's the Heart…" A sharp slap on the arm from Azlyn shuts the boy up. He glares back at her and sees her make a slashing motion across her throat. Rolling his eyes, he turns back to the queen. "Well, anyway, that girl is innocent!"

"My, my, what a claim!" the queen exclaims. "And what exactly do you have to offer in the way of _proof_?"

"Uh…" Sora stammers, at a loss for words. He can hear Azlyn slap her forehead angrily behind him.

"I see," the queen counters smugly. With a wave of her hand, she prompts two card guards to grab the girl on the witness stand and throw her into a cage that sits beside the judge's platform.

Two more guards usher Sora, Azlyn, and Telary forward as well, until all three are standing in the witness box, an uncomfortably tight fit.

"I am feeling generous today, my dears, so I have decided that I will allow you to present whatever farce you have prepared as a defense, if only to entertain my subjects for the afternoon," the queen says, fully convinced that she's being completely fair here. "I'll allow you whatever time you would like to gather whatever evidence you think is suitable to defend this girl. But be quick about it, for my patience in this matter grows short."

Telary is miffed for a moment at the discrepancy between the queen's last two statements, but one look at the girl in the cage convinces him not to comment upon it.

"We'll get that evidence!" Sora states with complete confidence, exiting the box. Scowling, Azlyn follows after him, Telary trailing behind her.

"Well, that was some move you pulled there, Sora!" the knight rages. "Getting us dragged into something we have no right to be involved with, interfering with the world order!"

"I'm sorry, okay?" Sora replies defensively. "But I just couldn't see that girl get punished for something she didn't do. And besides, if the Heartless are behind this, isn't it my duty as Keyblade wielder to do something about it?"

With a great huff, Azlyn backs down. Sora has a point, and she _had _been pretty pissed at the miscarriage of justice that was going on before he rushed in. Still, upsetting the world order seems like a pretty serious thing to do, and she really doesn't want any more screw-ups on her head. But, what's done is done.

"I think we should talk to that girl," Telary suggests, hoping to ease the tension between companions. "Maybe she can shed a little light on what exactly is going on here, huh?"

Both Azlyn and Sora agree, and the group moves over to the girl's cage, only to be blocked by two card guards, who cross their red lances to bar the way.

"Hey!" Sora cries indignantly. "Let us through!"

"Yeah, we're this girl's defense team!" Azlyn chimes in, clenching one gloved hand in a fist. After a moment, the cards look at each other, shrug, and step aside, allowing the trio to approach the girl in the cage.

She still looks upset, leaning against the bars of her cage, but smiles and straightens up as the group approaches her.

"Oh, I am so very grateful for what you did back there!" she says, almost cheerful despite the circumstances. Clearly this is a girl who has been taught proper manners. "I'd offer a handshake, but I'm afraid that with these bars and all…"

"No worries," Sora assures the girl with a light chuckle. "My name's Sora, and these are my, uh, friends, Azlyn and Telary."

"Hello," Telary greets the girl with his usual small wave.

"I'm perfectly capable of introducing myself, you know," Azlyn grumbles, arms crossed and brow stormy.

"What's your name, little girl?" Telary asks, ignoring his counterpart's mood for the moment.

"My name is Alice," she answers, managing to somehow curtsy flawlessly even in her confined space. "And once again I must say that I cannot thank you enough for what you've done! Why, if it weren't for you, I imagine I'd have had my head chopped off by now!"

"Yeah, we've heard that the queen likes to do that," Sora says sympathetically. "Anyway, why are you the one on trial in the first place?"

"I assure you I haven't the foggiest idea either, Sora," Alice answers, simply exasperated by the whole affair. "All I can really remember is finding a rabbit hole, while I was playing in the countryside with my cat. I tried to get a look inside, but I must have fell, and next thing I know, I ended up in his strange world!"

"Wait a minute, you aren't from this world?" Azlyn asks, suddenly very interested.

"I should say not!" the blonde girl in the cage protests vehemently. "Everyone in this place appears to be mad, in one way or another. Or at least everyone I've met anyway. I assure you, all of my higher brain functions are quite intact!"

"So you went to another world…" Sora mutters to himself, scratching his chin thoughtfully. "But what exactly was…?"

"Oh, get on with it already!" the queen bellows from her box above. "My patience is wearing very thin, and unless you can present me with compelling evidence before it evaporates completely…"

"Alright, alright!" Sora relents, the mystery of Alice's journey from one world to another taking a backseat to the trial's proceedings.

"We'll get the evidence you need in no time!" Telary assures the girl, thoughts of interfering in other-world affairs taking a backseat to the obviously frightened child in need of help. "Just hang tight!"

"Well, wherever else would I go?" Alice shoots back with a giggle. Sora's glad that the girl has been able to keep her good humor in this ordeal.

"We'll get you free, I promise!" Sora says with a nod that he hopes is reassuring. Alice returns the nod, and the trio leave the vicinity of her cage.

"The evidence you seek is likely somewhere in the Lotus Forest, if indeed it exists at all," the white rabbit explains to the trio, leading them away from the courtroom and back into the hedge maze. After a journey of ten minutes or so, the group stops at a seemingly random spot in the maze, except for the wooden sign that declares LOTUS FOREST in bold red paint.

The group moves through the hedge and, when they emerge of the other side, find themselves in a dark forest, what look to be large, multi-colored blades of grass surrounding the area and blotting out the sun.

"Now, where can we find some evidence that will prove that Alice isn't guilty?" Sora wonders, looking around the strange area, hands on hips.

"Well, if it's in the same place as your common sense and ability to follow simple commands, then we'll never find it!" Azlyn scoffs.

"Would you cut it out?" Sora says, pivoting angrily and marching right up to the girl, looking her directly in the eye. "We're doing a good thing here, and really making a difference. I'm sorry if that messes up the 'world border' or whatever, but it's what's right."

"Yeah, whatever," the knight scoffs once again, moving the boy out of her way with a shove of her shoulder. "But this also isn't getting us any closer to finding the king!"

"Or my friends," Sora mutters sadly, looking down at the ground. Telary moves forward and places a reassuring hand on the boy's shoulder. "Still, even if it doesn't help reunite me with Riku and Kairi, it's the right thing to do. And besides, they could still be on this world somewhere. Anything is possible."

"In Wonderland, you've no idea how true that statement is."

All three adventurers stop dead in their tracks at the sound of an unfamiliar, disembodied voice, casting frantic gazes around the forest.

Suddenly, two large white eyes appear in the thin air, followed seconds later by a bright white smile.

"And yet, so false."

Slowly, the rest of the creature's face fades in, a pink and purple striped cat's head floating in midair. A round body follows a second later, then finally a puffed out tail.

"Who the hell are you?" Azlyn exclaims, her shield out and ready to fight in seconds. Following her lead, Sora summons the Keyblade, just in case.

"Who indeed, my dear friend," the cat purrs delightedly. "That is quite the question, here in Wonderland. And its answer is not an easy one!"

The cat disappears.

"Where'd it go?" Telary wonders aloud, frantically searching the surrounding area. The others, too, both wildly throw their gazes around the forest.

"Poor Alice," the cat's voice says, the body this time appearing on a nearby tree stump. "The girl's going to lose her head soon, and through absolutely no fault of her own. It's dreadful, really."

"Do you know who the real culprit is?" Sora asks after taking a moment to recover from the cat's rapid reemergence.

"If you do, then just tell the queen, so we can get out of this crazy world!" Azlyn pleads, stepping forward and still brandishing her shield threateningly.

"It would really help us out," Sora agrees, dismissing the Keyblade. He has faith that the cat will agree to help them out of the goodness of its heart.

"I'm afraid that would be too simple, friends," the cat replies coolly, causing the trio's faces all to fall. "The Cheshire Cat always has the right answers, of course, but he seldom ever simply _tells_ them. Far too boring. I'm afraid that the culprit, the answer, and the cat all lie in darkness."

"I just wish that one stupid thing on this stupid world would just make stupid sense for once," Azlyn rages through clenched teeth.

"I will tell you that they've already left the forest, but I can't say through which exit," the cat says, helpful but still unhelpful, somehow. "But I will tell you that you can make your case, and make it well. You only need the right tool."

Reaching behind its back, the Cheshire Cat draws forth a square pink box. Grinning, it throws the box at Telary's feet. The mage bends down to pick it up, and examines it curiously as he rises.

"A box?" Sora asks the cat, bewildered.

"You will know what it's for, when the time is right," the cat assures the Keyblade wielder. As the final word leaves the creatures mouth, its body begins to fade, until all that remains is its pearly white grin. After a moment, that dissipates as well.

"I hate this world," Azlyn mutters, turning back into the forest. "I hate this world and all of the stupid people that inhabit it!"

"Do you think it's safe to trust that cat?" Sora asks Telary, who still seems bewildered by the small pink box in his hands.

"Well…" the mage says thoughtfully, finally stopping his examination of the box and tucking it under one arm. "Honestly I don't see how we have much of a choice. It's not exactly like anyone else seems to want to help us."

Sora nods in agreement, though both boys can hear Azlyn scoff loudly at the whole discussion a few feet away.

"I guess now we just have to search the forest," the Keyblade wielder sighs, resigning himself to a long trek.

"Hang on a minute!" Azlyn calls from up ahead. After sharing a look between them, Sora and Telary rush to the sound of Azlyn's voice, and find her bent over, examining something at the base of a green stalked tree. "I think I found something."

Bending down next to the girl, Sora sees what she's been examining: A trio of gashes in the tree, like something with clawed hands had scratched at the trunk.

"What do you think?" she asks the rest of the party, running her hand over the gashes. "These look kind of like they were made by Heartless claws."

"Over here!" Telary cries, rushing to the next tree, where another claw mark can be seen. The other two rush to him, confirm that the same claw marks have been made in that tree as well.

"And look what else!" Sora points out, gesturing to two small footprints without toes in the dirt of the forest floor.

While examining the odd footprints, suddenly Azlyn begins sniffing. Something smells odd, not entirely unpleasant, but extremely dark… Standing, she begins to follow the scent through the forest, not bothering to wait and confirm that her companions are behind her.

After a few seconds, Sora and Telary get the hint, and begin to follow along after the knight, who for the first time seems really engaged in their quest to help Alice.

"Telary, can I ask you something?" Sora says quietly as the two walk along after their companion, who stops periodically to check trees for any visible claw marks or footprints before moving on to the next.

"Sure thing, Sora," Telary answers agreeably, trying to mask his nervousness at being questioned when he has such a big secret on his mind.

"Is Azlyn always so…? I mean does she always… Why does she seem so angry all the time?" the Keyblade wielder finally spits out, quietly so the knight up ahead will not hear him. "I mean, she's so single-minded when it comes to your king, and whenever we try to move away from the search for him, or when I mention I'm focused on finding Riku and Kairi…"

Telary sighs, trying to figure a way to satisfy Sora's questions, but not give away the whole truth. Finally, he decides it's best to give as much truth as possible.

"Well, Sora," Telary finally says after a few moments of gathering his thoughts, "Azlyn has always been very driven, ever since the day King Mickey introduced her to the royal guard. She's always trying to be the best at what she does, but unfortunately for her, our castle is a very pacifistic society, so she feels that she's never gotten a chance to really prove herself.

"So when this mission came up, well, she thought she finally had it made, that she was finally going to prove herself. So I think that's why she's being so intense, why she's so focused. And besides, neither she nor I have ever actually been away from our world, so I'm sure part of that bravado is just her compensating for the fear of the unknown."

Sora thinks that over for a second, and realizes that it makes sense. He can certainly remember some of the crazy stunts he's pulled over the years to prove himself in Riku's eyes, and in some cases he's got the scars to prove it. He can only imagine how much greater a burden it is to strive to impress a royal monarch than just an older childhood friend.

"I guess I understand, kinda," the boy admits, sighing and letting a kind of fond grin play across his lips. "She could still work on her 'not being a jerk' skills, though."

"I hear that," Telary whispers back conspiratorially, causing a giggle fit in both boys.

"You two had better stop braiding each other's hair back there and get over here," Azlyn says from ahead, staring the giggling pair down from where she's stopped in front of a pair of bushes. Something small and black rests at her feet.

Telary bends down to examine it, thinking it may be a twig, but realizes upon further inspection that it is in fact a small black antenna, exactly like the ones Shadow Heartless have attached to their foreheads.

Sounds filter through the shrubbery the trio have stopped in front of, whistling like a boiling tea kettle. Curious, Sora pokes his head out.

Down a small hill lies a green clearing, with a large cottage set off to one side. In front of the cottage is a long table with a white table cloth. Despite the table being immaculately set, all the trappings of a tea party laid out in pink porcelain, the only occupant is a man wearing a rather large hat upon his head, facing away from the Keyblade wielder's vantage point.

"It looks like some kind of…" Sora reports to the others, who likewise stick their own heads through the leaves of the bush.

"…A tea party!" Azlyn finishes, practically growling the words. Even as a small child, she'd loathed the imaginary tea parties the other children would set up amongst themselves, preferring physical activity to a bunch of chit-chat and cookies.

"A tea party!" Telary repeats, elation evident in his voice. The mage had always loved a good tea party growing up! He'd even been okay getting stuck with the cleanup, which through some manner of wordplay or "Not I" game, he always had been.

"Maybe the guy in the hat knows something about the Heartless, or maybe he's seen Riku and Kairi!" Sora suggests, pushing through the bush and heading down the small hill towards the table.

Azlyn and Telary look at one another, Telary shrugs, and they too head down to see what information they may be able to glean from this party's sole participant.

"Um, excuse me sir," Sora calls out tentatively to the man in the large hat. "We hate to bother you like this, but since it looks like you're the only who's arrived at your party yet…"

The man in the hat does not respond, beyond a bit of a twitching motion. Obviously surprise at being interrupted.

"Hey!" Azlyn bellows, forging ahead with an angry look in her eye. "We're talking to you here!"

Azlyn grabs the hat and yanks it off, revealing the host of the party…

A Soldier Heartless!

Startled, the knight backpedals, managing to avoid tripping through sheer balancing ability. The Soldier leaps over the back of its chair, slashing its claw at the knight, but missing, claws slicing only through empty air.

Summoning the Keyblade, Sora charges forward and knocks the creature back, sending it sprawling on its back on the tea party table, shattering the pot it lands on with a loud noise.

Azlyn, recovered now from her shock, leaps up on the table after it, her shield out and ready to cut the creature down while it's dazed.

"Wait!" Telary yells just as his counterpart prepares her swing. She turns to the mage with an annoyed look on her face, upset about her kill being delayed.

Telary jogs over to the knight and waves the pink box the Cheshire Cat had left them before disappearing.

"Put it in this!" the mage explains, tossing the small box underhand up to Azlyn, who catches it in one hand.

Seeing the box, the Heartless tries to scramble away, but before it can, Azlyn slams to container down on its torso. There's a flash of light, and suddenly the Heartless is gone. Azlyn secures the lid on the box, grinning all the while.

"Now we have a way to prove Alice is innocent!" Sora rejoices, doing a tiny happy jig where he stands. "That old queen will have to believe us when she sees this!"

"And we can finally get off of this stupid, tripped out world!" Azlyn exclaims with equal glee, hopping off the now ruined table.

"Oh, I wouldn't be so certain of that!" the Cheshire Cat's voice rings out, fading into sight all at once on the table, arms crossed and teeth showing.

"What do you mean?" Sora asks, enraged. "This Heartless will totally prove to the queen that Alice is innocent!"

"Perhaps…" the cat says cryptically, body beginning to fade out of sight. "But tell me something, Keyblade wielder… Can the same be said about you?"

**KH-KH-KH**

Their reception back at the Queen of Hearts' court is slightly chilly, the queen just gazing haughtily at their single box of evidence. Even Alice looks a bit melancholy from her cage at the sight.

"Don't worry, Alice," Sora reassures her in the minute-long conference the queen has so graciously allowed them. "When the queen gets a load of what we've got in this box, you'll be out of that cage so fast you'll leave skid marks."

"Very well, Sora," Alice says reluctantly. "I think I trust you. After all, what other choice do I have, really?"

"Sidebar is over!" the queen bellows, swatting the air impatiently with her scepter. "Defense must now present their evidence in this case." The queen leans conspiratorially over to the white rabbit by her side. "Not that it will matter much, I think."

Telary moves to the space between the witness podium and the queen's pavilion, gingerly setting the pink box down in the grass. Unsure of what to do next, he just bows to the queen and slowly backs away.

"Hmm, is that it, then?" the queen asks skeptically, rubbing her chin with one meaty hand. "Doesn't seem like much. Espescially when you have _my _evidence to compare it to!"

With a wave of her scepter, the queen summons forth two card guards, each one carrying a pink box, identical to the one the trio's Heartless is trapped inside. The guards drop one box on either side.

"My, that looks like quite a bit of evidence," the Queen of Hearts mutters. "We can't possibly have time to look through it all, so you'll have to pick just one!"

"Well…" Sora says, already reaching for the middle box. He's stopped in his tracks, however, by the red lance of one of the guards.

"Not so fast, bub!" the card threatens, waving his lance to drive the boy back. Behind him, Azlyn readies for a fight, but Telary's hand on her shoulder manages to convince her to keep calm until they're sure of what's going on.

The queen snaps her fingers, and in a flash, all three boxes of evidence are gone. Before the spectators can even finish crying out though, they have all returned to the field.

"There, I've mixed them up!" the queen explains with a wily laugh. "Got to make things fair for everyone, you know!"

"Fair!" Azlyn cries out in rage, only stopped from rushing forward and dispensing a good wallop to the queen by virtue of the fact that Telary has wrapped both his arms around her torso and planted his feet to prevent her from charging. "You two-timing, cheating, lousy bi…" Her also incredibly unhelpful tirade is prevented by Telary moving one hand over her mouth.

"Fine, I'll pick a piece of evidence!" Sora declares, strutting up to the boxes confidently. He stops in front of them, takes a moment to look everything over and consider his choices, then puts one hand over his eye and thrusts the other one out.  
When he peeks through a gap in his fingers, he sees that he has landed on the rightmost pink box. Taking a big, nervous gulp, he lowers both his hands and nods. All according to plan!

"Very well, you have chosen the evidence you wish to present," the queen says haughtily. "Open it, and face the consequences."

All eyes in the court are riveted on Sora as the boy approaches the box, but when he looks up he only sees Alice, still locked up in a cage and most likely scared out of her mind. Hoping that he has truly made the right choice, Sora summons the Keyblade and gives the box a single tap.

Not a moment after, the lid flops off, and the enraged Soldier Heartless springs forth, flying through the air directly for the Queen of Hearts, who shrieks like a banshee and raises her arms to cover her face.

The Heartless doesn't get to her in time, thanks to a fire spell from Telary sent soaring through the air. The fiery orb hits the Soldier dead on, disintegrating it in an instant!

And that would be that, if it weren't for Azlyn's shield following after it. With no more Heartless to hit, it clangs directly into the Queen of Hearts midsection, sending her toppling over, exposing her white bloomers with tiny red hearts all over.

For a moment, everyone present freezes. Then, with a loud, deep, terrified yell of fear, the walrus foreman goes charging out of the jury stand, past all assembled card guards and defendants, and continues into to maze. Moments later the clams follow suit, their cries much higher pitched.

"GUARDS!" the queen cries out from her most undignified position. "OFF WITH THEIR HEADS, OFF WITH THEIR HEADS! KILL THEM, YOU FOOLS!"

In the blink of an eye, the entire area changes, everything except the archway leading in and the Queen of Heart's podium disappearing. A heavy velvet curtain extends over Alice's cage, the card guard posted there manipulating the lever of a mechanism beside the cage, which lifts it into the air. Alice's cries can be heard terribly clear for a moment, and then they are silenced.

Two cards move to help the queen return to a more advantageous, and less embarrassing, position, but the other dozen or so charge directly for Sora, Azlyn, and Telary.

The three drop into battle positions, Azlyn bereft of her shield for the moment, but plenty able to handle the cards with her fists.

"Get to that hand crank!" Sora commands. "If we can knock it out, we'll free Alice! I think!"

A black spade swings down his axe, but Sora is able to block it with his raised Keyblade. He pushes the axe off his blade, then goes for a lower blow, nailing the guard three times in the torso. This unfortunately leaves him open for the lance of a red guard, which nails him in the side and pushes him back, vision going red in a haze of pain.

Telary sends out a blizzard spell upon the ground, causing the three cards charging him to slip, slide, and fall to the ground, floating down gently due to their flimsy-bodied nature.

Azlyn manages to catch her opponent's red lance and twist it out of the guard's hands, beating the man with his own weapon. Moving on to the next one, she slams the lance's heart-shaped tip into midsection of the next guard she encounters, felling him as well. Moving on, she locks lances briefly with another guard, finally cheating outright and stamping down heavily on the card's foot. While he's distracted, she knocks into him shoulder first, continuing towards the crank.

Sora and Telary are back-to-back now, Sora fending off blows with the Keyblade, and Telary using his staff to block axe swings. Finally, Sora sees an opening and swings the Keyblade into the head of the card he's facing, ending the threat, and a fireball from Telary takes care of his own opponent.

Meanwhile, the only thing stopping Azlyn from rescuing Alice is a single spade guard with an axe. Spying her shield lying on the ground, the knight leaps up and lands on it, her momentum sending her skidding directly toward the guard, lance out for the kill. Panicking, the guard leaps to the side to avoid being skewered.

Jumping off the shield and simultaneously using her foot to flip it into her hand, Azlyn smashes the edge of it into the crank mechanism's lever, sending the cage above crashing down.

The resulting crash shakes the cage so hard that the velvet curtain falls to the ground. Everyone's eyes lock onto the cage.

It is empty.

"What!" Sora cries out in anguish.

"WHAT!" the Queen of Hearts echoes, though there's nothing but pure rage in her voice. "That little minx escaped! She's roaming all about my kingdom now, free to commit any crime she chooses! Unacceptable! GUARDS, FIND THAT GIRL AND BRING HER TO ME!"

"I… I don't understand," Sora mumbles, moving numbly towards the empty cage as card soldiers shuffle past him, no doubt heading into the forest. "What happened?"

"Don't play ignorant with me, boy!" the queen spits at the Keyblade wielder. "I see now how your devious little plan came together!"

"No, Your Majesty, I can assure you that…" Telary tries to explain, but by now it's been made abundantly clear to everyone that the Queen of Hearts is not one for logic once she's formed a decision.

"Silence!" she bellows. "You three distracted my soldiers and I while that thieving tart absconded away into the forest. I should have you arrested on treason! Guards, Guards!"

Fortunately for the trio, all the cards are currently off searching the forest for Alice, leaving them a great chance to slip away while the queen works herself into a frenzy, with only the white rabbit left to console her, offering her his handkerchief, which she rejects with a hard smack to the rabbit's nose.

Once they feel they've gotten a safe distance away, Sora, Azlyn, and Telary all stop to catch their breath, and hopefully process the events that just took place.

"What happened to Alice?" Sora asks, though he knows his friends haven't got an answer any more than he does. "She was there when the curtain closed, but when it opened…"

"She was gone," Azlyn finishes gravely.

"But there's got to be some explanation!" Telary says frantically, running nervous fingers through his hair. "Someone must have slipped in while we were fighting! Or maybe the Queen of Hearts is partly right, and Alice did manage to escape!"

"Two things," Azlyn says with a heavy sigh. "First, I cannot believe that you just said the words 'maybe the Queen of Hearts is right'…"

"I said _partly_…"

"And second of all, that girl is like, twelve," the knight finishes. "I don't care how much is going on around, no twelve year old child is going to be able to sneak out from under the noses of, like, twenty people."

"She's right," Sora agrees, nodding thoughtfully.

"Well what you're saying all has merit, Azlyn," Telary grants. "But all _I'm _saying is, people don't just suddenly disappear!"

"Oh, I think you may want to reassess that statement, my dear boy," the voice of the Cheshire Cat purrs lazily, suddenly appearing seconds later, standing on its head. Literally, as in its feet are balancing on its disembodied skull, manic grin on its face all the while.

"Oh, great, _this _guy again," Azlyn sighs, looking down her nose at the cat, who only directs his grin to her.

"Actually, I'd like to hear what it has to say," Sora argues. "I mean, it hasn't led us astray once so far."

"I guess," Azlyn mutters darkly.

"Do you know what happened to Alice?" Telary inquires of the cat. "Have you seen her?"

"I've not seen our friend fair Alice, no," the cat answers, kicking its head back onto its shoulders, automatically reattaching it. "But shadows, ah, I've seen plenty of those about, oh yes!"

"Shadows?" Sora asks, "Do you mean the Heartless? Where are they, where did they go?"

"Oh this way, that way," the cat almost snickers, pointing its paw all over the place. "Left, right, sideways, down… Shadows go all ways, even those that make no sense! Deep into the forest, the tea party garden, that may be the place!"

"You mean, where we found that evidence Heartless?" Sora asks, earning a nod from the cat.

"All good things to those who wait…" the cat purrs cryptically, fading away into thin air, saving its grin for last.

"C'mon guys, let's go check out that tea party," Azlyn urges the others, already turning for the entrance to the forest.

Once they're in the Lotus Forest proper, Sora finally catches up to Azlyn, Telary trailing behind in hopes of avoiding any arguments that may spring up.

"You seem pretty dedicated to this all of the sudden," the boy says in a teasing tone, nudging the knight on the elbow a bit with his own forearm. "I would've thought you'd want to head straight for the Gummi ship as soon as you saw Alice was gone."

Azlyn takes a deep breath before finally replying. "Look, Sora," she says, her tone a bit defeated, "I was wrong, earlier, when I kept complaining about helping Alice. I mean, I know my mission is important, and it's hard for me to put something so enormous-seeming on the backburner for even a moment."

She sighs again, this one even deeper, like the breath is physically hard to take. "But then, once I saw that she was gone, it was like, I don't know. This light switched on in my brain. I realized then that, as much as the king wants us to find him, he also would never _ever _let an innocent girl get hurt if he could prevent it."

"Y'know something, Azlyn?" Sora says with a smile, slinging what he hopes is a comforting, friendly arm around her shoulders. "When it all comes down to it, I don't think _you _would ever let _anyone _get hurt if you could prevent it."  
Azlyn almost says something else, but right at that moment the pair hear a sound from behind that seems almost like a sob. Stopping, they turn around to see Telary, one knuckle up to his cheek to wipe away a tear.

"Are you crying?" Azlyn asks teasingly, grinning at the mage.

"No," he lies, lowering his hand from his face. A moment passes. "Okay, yes I was crying. But c'mon, guys that was a really beautiful friendship moment!"

After sparing another amused look for Telary, Azlyn and Sora turn to each other and start laughing, until _they_ have to wipe tears from their eyes.

The hike to the tea party continues a minute later, and finally the group reaches the clearing that holds the table, which is once again immaculately decorated for a party.

"Didn't we mess this up when we fought that Heartless?" Sora asks, confused.

"Yeah, we did," Azlyn agrees. "But it looks like someone was here, and they put it all back together."

"What does this sign say?" Telary wonders, wandering over to a large wooden board with words scrawled in black ink.

"Have a very merry… _un_birthday?" reads Sora. "What's an unbirthday?"

"This place is so screwed up," Azlyn mutters defeatedly into her hand.

"So, what now?" Telary asks, looking around. "The cat said that the shadows would be here in the tea party garden, but I don't see anything?"

"Maybe it meant the cabin," Sora posits, gesturing to the small but homey looking wooden construct to the side of the garden.

"Well, we should at least check it out," Azlyn says.

The inside of the cabin is odd, with a main floor that seems devoid of anything but two large stalks in the middle, each holding up a platform with what looks to be a small lamp on it. To one side sits a steep incline made of dull grey brick.

"What kind of weird place is this?" Sora wonders aloud incredulously, gazing all around. But when his eyes turn to the ceiling, he stops. "Um, guys, look up."

Azlyn and Telary do so, and when they do, they stand just as riveted as the Keyblade wielder.

The ceiling of the cottage is, to all appearances, the floor of the room they entered into Wonderland through. Even the blue table and chair are there, hanging upside down and seemingly unconcerned with the laws of gravity.

"Darkness changes perceptions, yes?" the Cheshire Cat's voice floats in. Its body quickly follows, up on one of the stalks. "In my experience, it certainly does. Yes, when darkness is introduced, your whole outlook on life can just…" Instantly, the cat's head and body swap position so, as before, it's standing on its head, "…Flip upside down!"

"You make even less sense than the rest of this place," Sora complains, sighing in defeat at the sheer madness of Wonderland.

"So, where are these shadows you were talking about, huh?" Azlyn demands impatiently, moving towards the annoying cat. "I don't see anything!"

"Oh, they can't show themselves _now_!" the cat scoffs, rolling its eyes dismissively at the silly girl. "If you want to see the shadows, then you'll have to turn on the lights."

"Could you do that with a spell, Telary?" Sora asks the mage, who nods agreeably.

"Sure thing, Sora," the mage replies humbly. "But I don't know how I'm supposed to get up there. I'll need to be close, for accuracy."

"I may have an idea on that…" Azlyn says, grinning.

After a few unsuccessful tries that end up with bruises all around, but especially on Telary, Sora and Azlyn manage to form an adequate lifting base to get Telary to the platform with the lamp.

"Wow, uh, this is higher than I thought," he gulps, arms out wide for balance. After acquiring equilibrium, the mage pulls out his staff and places the tip on the lamp. With a simple muttering of the incantation, the lamp alights in flame. "Ta da!" he says half-heartedly.

The Cheshire Cat appears on the other platform. "Hmm, it still seems a little dim in here, don't you think? I'd shed a bit more light on the situation, were I you."

"Sure thing," Telary mutters to himself, steeling for a jump across the platforms. With a fearful squeak, he manages to clear the gap. Once he lands, he holds his staff up again and mutters another incantation.

"Well well, the lights all seem to be on now, don't they?" it wheezes with amusement, "Good, now I think that the shadows can finally comfortably arrive. I hope you're prepared, my friends. After all, new light brings new _perception!_"

The cat snaps its fingers, and suddenly the room flips, the trio all falling towards the new/old floor of the bizarre room.

They manage to land fairly gently, considering, on the blue table, next to the now empty blue bottle and the still full orange one.

Groaning, all three rise to their feet, searching for the Cheshire Cat. It appears on the lip of the orange bottle, still grinning as manically as ever.

"Pretty good view of the room from this high up," it says, chuckling. "I think you just might be able to see the shadows coming." The cat's eyebrows raise, a mocking expression settling across its smug face. "But then again, perhaps not…"

Suddenly, from the ceiling drops an absolutely enormous Heartless, towering over the tabletop and gazing down at the trio with five heads all stacked on one another, leading to a squat red and black torso. Its arms are long and black, but like paper folded accordion-style. Four long spindly legs stretch out to the floor, each pair of legs ending in a single red foot. In its hands are two bright purple, striped clubs.

"Well, good luck!" the cat says, fading out as rapidly as the group has ever seen it.

"Lotta help that stupid thing is!" Azlyn cries out, just in time for a sweep of the Heartless's baton to hit her and the two boys, sending them careening to the floor of the room.

"Anybody have a suggestion?" Sora asks frantically as the trio all get to their feet, looking up in abject fear at the Heartless that is slowly advancing on them.

"Well, at the moment, I'd have to say… Run!" Telary cries, turning and running under the table for some meager protection.

Neither Sora nor Azlyn particularly wants to back down from a challenge, but considering the sheer size of their opponent, they seem to have no other choice. The pair join the mage underneath the table.

"So this is a great start," Sora says, trying desperately to regulate his panicked breathing. "But I really don't think this plan has much of a chance of, uh…"

"Long term success?" Telary finishes, yelping as the Heartless beats the table above them. Luckily, it seems that it is otherwise unable to reach them. In fact, after a moment, it moves away from the table entirely, heading instead for the fireplace.

"Wait a minute!" Azlyn cries out, a plan finally forming in her mind. "That Heartless is only huge right now, to us, because we're actually _small_. But if we were somehow able to get to what I assume is the growing potion on the table…"

"Azlyn, that's a great idea!" Sora exclaims.

"But how do we get up there if…?" Telary is unable to finish his thought, as at that moment a huge fireball impacts the floor near the trio, sending all three flying through the air.

They all land roughly, their backs slamming to the ground. But Telary gets it worst of all, his skull solidly _thunk_ing against the floor. The others rise, but he doesn't.

"Telary!" Azlyn cries out in anguish, rushing to the mage's side and kneeling there.

Sora is concerned about Telary too, but he's also pretty troubled by the fact that the giant Heartless is approaching him with _giant flaming batons_!

Azlyn is frantically tugging a healing potion out of her belt, uncapping the bottle and pouring the green liquid inside into Telary's mouth.

It won't have time to do much, however, as at that very moment, the Heartless raises its flaming batons, ready to send another fireball, this one much more accurately fired.

Then, inexplicably, it stops.

Confused, Sora looks at the creature frozen in place, then turns back to Azlyn and Telary, the green liquid halfway out of its vial and to the mage's mouth.

"What is going on?" the confounded Keyblade wielder cries out loud, realizing a moment later than he cannot stand from his kneeling position on the floor.

"Well, it looked like you could use a break, honestly," the Cheshire Cat explains, its body popping into existence on the floor in front of Sora. "Not very impressive for a Keyblade wielder, I must say."

"You… You know about the Keyblade?" Sora asks incredulously.

"Oh, my dear sweet boy, I know quite a lot," the cat answers with a cheekier than usual grin, which Sora honestly hadn't thought possible. "Including this...!"

With a wave of its paw, a group of glowing white glowing snowflakes appear and flutter into the Keyblade. It glows with a blue-white light for a moment, then fades back to normal. As it does, Sora feels an inexplicable wave of cold.

"W-what did you just do?" the confused boy asks the cat, staring dumbfounded at his blade.

"Oh, I just thought you might need a bit of a boost, is all," the cat clarifies. "After all, as hopeless as you may seem, all you hero types need to get your start somewhere. I figure a little magic couldn't hurt, eh?"

"Magic! Like Telary uses?"

"The very same!" Cheshire confirms cheerfully. "All you've got to do is take a deep breath, focus, and let the power flow from the Keyblade! Shouldn't be too difficult, I wouldn't think."

The cat fades out, and time resumes its course.

The potion makes its way into Telary's mouth, and after a moment of his body glowing with a healthy green aura, he manages to regain consciousness.

Just in time to see Sora stand, raise the Keyblade so its tip points directly at the batons of the Heartless, and let loose a shower of ice crystals and cold energy.

Telary gasps espescially loud as he watches the freezing projectile eject from the Keyblade's tip and fly through the air to encompass the flaming instruments of the Trickmaster, putting the flames out in an instant.

"Sora, you just used magic!" the mage cries, a mixture of incredulity and exuberance in his voice.

"I did?" Sora breathes out. "Whoa!"

"We can celebrate later!" Azlyn yells out authoritatively. "For the moment, we've got to concentrate on getting to that bottle!"

"Sora should be the one to drink it," Telary suggests, which earns a bit of a consternated look from Azlyn.

"But he already got to…" her childish protests are cut off with a glare from her counterpart. "Okay, you're right, he should drink it. We'll distract that Heartless so you can get your chance!"

"Thanks, guys!" the Keyblade wielder says gratefully, already taking off towards the table. "Be careful, that thing is _really_ dangerous!"

With a quick look and nod to each other, Telary and Azlyn rush off to distract the Heartless.

Telary fires off a blizzard spell of his own, aiming it at the monster's feet, which become solidly frozen to the floor, preventing it from moving. Azlyn takes advantage and hurls her shield at the creature's head, the edge of it actually slicing off the two topmost faces.

Growling in pain and anger, the Heartless pulls at its icy bonds with all the strength of its legs, breaking free and stalking towards the duo from Disney Castle.

Sora, meanwhile, leaps up onto the chair by the table, the jumps for the edge of the table itself, just barely managing to grasp it with his fingers.

He's shaken around a bit as Azlyn and Telary manage to drive the beast back a step, sending it slamming into the table. Sora manages to hang on, though, and pulls himself up, the orange bottle only a quick dash across the table.

The Trickmaster notices this and, guessing its opponent's plan, rears back on of its batons to strike. It doesn't get the chance, however, as a hit from Azlyn's thrown shield knocks its arm back from ready position, followed by a fire spell from Telary that actually catches the whole of its arm aflame.

With the Heartless distracted by its pain, Sora manages to grab a hold of the orange bottle and, figuring it's better to be safe than sorry, chugs it all down in several gulps.

Within moments he feels himself growing, and with a giant and ever-growing grin playing across his lips he leaps from the table to the floor, already at half the height of the Trickmaster and still growing.

He must have taken too much of the liquid, however, as he continues growing even past normal size, until he's bumping his head on the room's ceiling.

It doesn't seem to be a disadvantage though, as the Heartless, now coming to just about Sora's waist, looks up with something almost like fear in its six remaining eyes.

"Looks like the tables have turned, huh?" Sora chuckles, which sounds as loud as a bomb going off to a still miniaturized Azlyn and Telary below. Still grinning, Sora brings his Keyblade down in a single swipe, cleaving the Trickmaster in two. Both halves fall to the ground, already dissipating, its crystal heart floating into the air for a brief moment before disappearing as well.

"You did it!"

"Good job, Sora!"

The congratulations don't even reach Sora, however, as tiny as his companions are in comparison.

"Oh, dear!" the Cheshire Cat exclaims as it floats into the scene. "Well, this simply won't do, now will it?" With a wave of its paw, the cat sets Sora back down shrinking, until he's once again as small as his tiny partners.

"Deary me!" a drowsy voice intrudes on the scene, coming from a now awake, and certainly not happy about that, doorknob. "Must you cause such a racket? I was in the middle of a nap, you know. Just how a doorknob is supposed to get any… Sleep…"

The knob's tired tirade is interrupted by another yawn, this one the biggest of all. So big, in fact, that if Sora squints, he can just make out something tiny, glowing inside the doorknob's mouth.

Curious, the boy leans forward, only for the Keyblade to suddenly tug his hand forward, pointing directly at the mouth of the doorknob. Suddenly, light begins to gather and swirl about the Keyblade's tip, until it coalesces into a glowing orb on the tip, which shoots a thing beam of light straight into the mouth of the doorknob.

The glow plays around his open mouth for a moment, before dissipating with a tiny but obvious sound of a _click_, like someone closing a pocket watch, or locking a door. Seconds later, a tiny blue and green object falls out of the doorknob's mouth.

"Now, if you would please _keep it down_!" the knob chides, closing his eyes and settling back into a blissful sleep.

"What the hell was that about?" Azlyn asks, looking from the Keyblade to the strange object to the doorknob twice in rapid succession.

"This looks, uh, kind of like a Gummi piece!" Telary exclaims, picking the dropped object up and poking it with his fingers. Indeed, it does give a little at his touch, just like any other Gummi block would. "But, and I hope I don't sound conceited by being surprised, I've never seen a block like this before. Which is odd, because I know my Gummi blocks!"

"We should hold onto it, just in case," Azlyn decides. The mage nods in agreement.

"But, where's Alice?" Sora asks sadly, looking all around. "I thought Cheshire said that the shadows took her, but we just defeated their leader, and I don't see her anywhere!"

"If you're looking for Alice here, I'm afraid you're destined to be disappointed," the Cheshire Cat sighs as it slowly fades into existence by the sleeping doorknob. "The shadows have already spirited her away, you see. She's far too important to leave out to chance, you see."

"Okay, cat!" Azlyn roars, stepping forward and balling her hands into fists. "I've let you just pop in and out all you like without saying anything, but I think by now it's clear that you're up to something, and I want answers! How do you know so much about Alice, and the shadows, huh? Were you in on this somehow?"

"All mimsy were the borogroves," the cat chuckles as it fades out one last time, its grin bigger than ever.

"Oh wow, it's lost its mind!" the knight exclaims in outrage.

All that's left now of the Cheshire Cat is its floating grin. "And the mome raths outgrabe…"

With a yell of pure rage, Azlyn charges at the fading grin, arms outstretched and ready for a fight. Both Sora and Telary run after her, hoping to catch her before she does something impulsive.

All three, however, end up tripping, stumbling towards the closed door. With a great yell, the trio fall to the ground, all in a heap.

They are greeted by a terrified scream.

Looking up, all three see Jiminy Cricket, shivering in fright and clutching his journal like a security blanket.

"Gosh, you three sure know how to scare a fellow!" the chronicler exclaims, trying to calm himself down. "You three just popped out of nowhere, screaming like banshees!"

Extricating themselves from their big pile, the trio look around to see that, to their surprise, they've somehow ended up back in to Gummi ship's cargo hold. Telary looks back and once again sees the great horizontal tunnel they'd landed in hours ago.

"I guess you didn't find the king, huh?" Jiminy asks sympathetically, heaving a great sigh. "Though I can't see how you could've looked very hard, considering you weren't gone all of five minutes!

More confused at that statement than by anything else they've encountered in Wonderland, the trio all look back and forth between one another, silence reigning in the Gummi ship.

Azlyn, naturally, breaks it. "We are _never_ coming back here again."


	7. Guest Etiquette

Thankful to leave Wonderland and its sheer oddity behind, Telary sets in a course for the nearest world, and the computer readout informs him that the ship will arrive in several hours. Plenty of time for everyone to rest up for whatever challenges their next destination may bring.

It also gives him a little time to converse with his partner.

He waits a few minutes after Sora exits the cockpit, the Keyblade wielder having volunteered to give his account of Wonderland to Jiminy, then turns to face Azlyn, who has her feet up and is looking out at space passing them by.

"So, I guess Sora is proving himself to be quite the partner," he says, attempting nonchalance but not quite reaching it.

"I suppose," Azlyn agrees, looking at him, perplexed. "Good thing, too, because we're stuck with him until we find the king."

"True," Telary agrees with a laugh, taking a deep breath before moving on to his next point. "Speaking of King Mickey, aha, have you given any thought to, uh, what happens once…"

"We find him, and he spills to Sora that he didn't actually send us?" the knight asks, taking her feet off the console and leaning forward in her chair very seriously. "Which is actually an awkward moment I think you want to avoid, by just telling him now and getting it over with."

"Well, Azlyn," Telary reasons, leaning forward himself and making sure to keep his voice low, just in case any of the conversation drifts down to where Sora could hear, "I felt bad enough about lying to him before, and now that we're getting to know each other, I'm starting to feel even worse!"

Azlyn gazes at her friend steadily for a moment, before sighing and staring back down at the ground. "Yeah, me too."

Telary's tension eases up a bit, hoping that this admission means that Azlyn is ready to finally spill the beans to Sora.

"Which is kind of the reason why we can't tell him," the girl explains, steepling her fingers in front of her. "If we tell him now that we've lied, then all that trust, all that friendship… It might be over."

Telary leans back in his chair, processing Azlyn's statement. In an odd way, it even sort of makes sense. To let the boy know that the people he was just coming to trust, just starting to feel safe and comfortable traveling with, have been lying to him the entire time… It might be disastrous, might completely end any hope of comradery or friendship.

And neither Azlyn nor Telary wants that. They like Sora, even if he occasionally exasperates the knight, and Telary can barely look at him without breaking down from the thought of all that the sixteen year old boy has had to endure in so short a time. To suddenly have that connection cut off prematurely before it could really grow into something truly special would be devastating, especially since they've so few bridges left that they haven't already burned.

"I can see your point," Telary finally relents, leaning back into his chair, defeated. "Fine, we won't tell Sora the truth, not unless we have to." After a moment of thought, he leans forward again and points a steady finger at his counterpart. "But when we find the king, and have to fess up, I am expecting you to be the one to figure it out. I may be going along with it, but only because _you _managed to convince me. This is on your head first and foremost, got that?"

For a moment Azlyn doesn't know what to say, she's so surprised by Telary's out of character authoritarian voice. But after a moment, she nods in agreement.

"I'll take care of it, Tel," she assures him, turning back towards the view of space beyond. "I promise you."

**KH-KH-KH**

"Curse that infernal cat!" the man in the large hat bellows, his mustache uncurling with sheer rage. "We offer him the deal of a lifetime, true control of the Heartless, and what does he do? He rejects us, and then just to add insult to injury, helps those brats defeat the Heartless!"

"Yeah, but c'mon," the flaming haired man protests, "it could have sold us out, told the kid and his schmuk partners everything, but he didn't! And even if there was something to be upset about, I wouldn't try it! I mean, I've got the power of a god at my disposal, so believe me when I tell ya, that thing has freaky strong powers!"

"His magic is considerable, yes," the thin man in the turban agrees. "In fact, I'd venture to say that it doesn't even _have _a heart we can manipulate. Despite the queen's blustering, it is the cat that holds true dominion over Wonderland."

"The matter is a pointless one besides, gentleman," the leader of this unholy alliance concludes, ending the discussion. "What's done is done, and even if the Keyblade wielder still roams the space lanes, at least we managed to complete our other, more important goal."

Waving her hand grandly, the evil woman gestures to the large glass case that contains the now sleeping form of the girl Alice, blissfully unaware of what's happened since she was spirited away from her cage in Wonderland.

"Soon the rest of the princesses will be gathered here under our control," she says, grinning wickedly. "And our goal will finally be attained! Now go, return to your worlds and await my summons. I have an appointment… With a new friend."

Once the others have gone, the jade-skinned sorcerous makes her way down to the very lowest levels of her pilfered fortress, deep beneath the blue stone cliffs of the world above.

Judging by the panicked breaths emanating from the darkness, the boy is still secured in his cell, though he doesn't seem to have moved from his huddled position there.

"Good evening once again, my young friend," the woman greets, a poisonous smile playing across her lips. "I do hope my pets have taken good care of you. After all, I wouldn't want you to starve down here."

"Then let me out!" Riku cries, slamming desperately against the bars of his cage, rattling them. The iron is rusty, but manages to hold against his weight.

The dark woman smiles at this development, glad that the boy remains defiant, rather than having given up all hope.

"In due time, my dear, in due time," she assures him, actually moving close enough to reach out and caress his cheek. Riku shudders at the touch and backs away into the safe shadows of his cell.

"Lady, I swear to you, if you touch me again, you'll regret it!" Riku cries out angrily. "I've cleaned pools for money, so trust me when I tell you that I know how to deal with an older lady getting handsy!"

"Relax, my dear, I meant nothing by it!" his hostess assures him, sounding offended by the implication of his statement. "In fact, in time, I hope you'll come to think of me fondly. Much in the same way I have already begun to think of you."

"Please, just go away," the boy pleads, curling up into a ball in the shadows once more. "I don't want to talk to you anymore."

"Very well," the lady sighs, backing towards the stairs, "I shall away. Never let it be said that Maleficent is unkind in the treatment of her guests."

Maleficent ascends the stairs once more, leaving Riku once again in the darkness.

Though, truth be told, he has already begun to adjust to it.


	8. Games Theory

If Sora could use one word to describe the world the trio has found themselves in, then that word would be _impressive_.

The largest impetus for use of that word would have to be the two giant, golden statues of armored men holding golden swords high, crossing each other over a wooden door like the most striking arch ever.

The statues stand across a wide, sandy plain, some people milling about dressed in togas and other draping fabrics. Put up on a sign by the door is an announcement: OLYMPUS COLISEUM CUP TOURNAMENT SERIES PRELIMINARY TOURNAMENT TODAY! SAME-DAY ENTRIES ACCEPTED!

"Whoa, do you guys see this?" Sora asks his companions, rushing up to the sign, nearly knocking into a man as he does so, earning him a glare.

"Yeah, we're right here," Azlyn points out with withering sarcasm.

"I wonder what kind of tournament they mean," the Keyblade wielder wonders aloud, ignoring his companion's bad attitude.

"Something makes me doubt it's chess," Telary chimes in, out of the corner of his eye seeing an absolutely enormous man walk out of the statue-flanked door. All he's wearing is a leather skirt and a large metallic pauldron on his right shoulder, oiled-up muscles gleaming in the sunlight. He looks back a Telary with a fierce scowl, and the mage immediately averts his gaze.

"It sounds like just another waste of time," Azlyn points out impatiently, not wanting to get sidetracked again unless it involves saving a person's life. And even then, she'd want to handle it quickly. "Let's just ask whoever's in charge around here if they've seen the king and get out of here."

"Or Riku and Kairi," Sora adds, sighing wistfully and following his travelling companions to the door. He knows that every second he isn't actively searching for his friends is a second they could be in danger, but the competitive streak in him can't help but want to test himself in whatever kind of games are going on in this world.

The trio enter an empty lobby, lit by bowls of fire placed in alcoves all over the room, a hazard which sort of worries Telary. Sitting to one side is a giant stone block.

Across the room, next to an opening in the wall with a chain across it, a sign declaring ARENA CLOSED hanging from it, a man with stubby, hairy legs like a goat, and the rotund upper body of a man is doing some detailing to a sign that declares RULES across the top in golden letters.

Sora approaches him first. "Uh, hello…"

He doesn't even get halfway through his greeting when the little man interrupts him, not even bothering to turn away from his work. "Oh, thank Zeus you finally showed up! Look, I'm swamped sprucing this place up for the games, and I could really use your help. Make yourself useful and move that pedestal over there."

When Sora realizes that he's referring to the giant slab of rock pushed up against the wall of the lobby, his face drains of all color instantly.

However, with a look and a shrug at his companions, Sora moves to the block, happy to help out.

"Oh, please!" Azlyn scoffs incredulously. "There's no way you'll be able to move that thing. It probably weighs a ton. Two tons, maybe!"

"While I don't agree with her tone, Sora, I think Azlyn may have a point," Telary adds, worry evident in his voice. "I mean, I can heal you if you get hurt, of course, but…"

"C'mon, guys," Sora protests, already placing his hands on the side of the slab in preparation. "Relax. I got this!" Taking a deep breath and summoning all his reserves of strength, the Keyblade wielder gives the pedestal a mighty push.

It doesn't budge an inch, despite the boy's repeated, and increasingly desperate, attempts to move it. He pushes with all he's got for a solid minute, but no matter how hard he tries, the effort proves fruitless.

"Okay, Sora, I think that's enough," Telary declares, placing a hand on the boy's shoulder and leading him away from the block. Adrenaline no longer coursing through him, Sora leans over and places his hands on his knees, heaving heavy breathes.

"What is taking you so long?" the goat-man inquiries from over by his sign. "I mean, gods, it's just a stupid block. I'd have though you could move that thing in your sleep!"

"It's way too heavy!" Sora protests through labored breaths.

"Too heavy!" the man declares, spinning around. "Whaddya mean, too heavy? When did you become… Oh."

Obviously the goat-man is not expecting to see a heavily breathing sixteen year old when he turns away from his task at the RULES board.

"Sorry, I guess you weren't who I thought you were," he apologizes, turning back to his work. "If you guys are looking to get tickets to see tonight's fights…"

"Fights!" Sora declares, rising and walking over to the man, interest _really _piqued now. "Like a gladiator competition?"

"Uh, yeah kid," the man declares incredulously, turning back once again. "Do you live under a rock or something? This here is the famous Olympus Coliseum! Heroes come from all over to participate in the games and get a shot at glory!"

"Whoa!" Sora exclaims in a burst of excitement, practically jumping up in the air from sheer enthusiasm. "_I _wanna compete for glory!"

"Oh yeah?" the goat-man scoffs, leaping off his pedestal and strutting up to the boy, who backs up fearfully, despite his advantage of size. "And what makes you think you could measure up against the greatest heroes who ever lived, huh?"

"Hey, I'm a hero too!" Sora protests indignantly, puffing out his chest.

"That's actually pretty true, mister, um…" Telary begins, pausing in hopes to get the goat-man's name.

"Philoctetes. But you can call me Phil."

"Right, Mr. Philoctetes," Telary finishes, placing one hand on his young friend's shoulder. "Sora has been chosen by the Keyblade."

"I was shocked when I heard it too, believe me," Azlyn mutters with a mocking smirk. "But it's the real deal."

Sora reaches out his hand and, in a burst of white light, summons the Keyblade as proof.

Phil looks from the Keyblade to Sora a few times, expression frozen neutrally, body locked into a rigid position. After a few seconds of silence, the goat-man begins laughing, a hearty, full belly laugh that can probably be heard all the way outside the coliseum's lobby.

Not quite the reaction the group was expecting.

**_Olympus Coliseum_**

"What are you laughing at?" Sora protests, taking an indignant step forward.

"Do you honestly think some giant key is proof that you're any kinda hero?" Phil manages through his laughter, wiping away actual tears from his eyes.

"Well I've used it to fight monsters!" Sora protests. "A bunch of monsters, in fact! Big ones too!"

"Sure thing kid," Phil says through the last fleeting chuckles of his laughing fit, strolling over to the giant rock slab up against the wall. "But, c'mon…" The little man begins to push up against the rock, his attempt garnering no more success than Sora's had. "If you can't… Even move this… little rock… Whoof!" Exhausted, Phil slumps up against the slab, out of breath completely.

Sora and Azlyn give the satyr withering looks, while Telary tries to abate the awkwardness by suddenly becoming very interested in the RULES sign.

"I guess it takes more than brawn," he admits sheepishly, kicking at the ground. "But that's beside the point!"

"Which is…?" Azlyn asks, one eyebrow quirking up.

"You ain't getting into these games, key boy!" Phil swears with finality.

"Okay, look, Phil, I'll level with you," Azlyn says, pushing past a bewildered Sora. "These two, yeah, I agree they don't look like much…"

"Please don't involve me in this…" Telary mutters, hands wringing once again.

"…But I'm going to vouch for them," she continues, hand reaching into her pocket and pulling out a card. "Now, as you can see here, I'm a member of the Royal Guard at a little place called Disney Castle. It's pretty far away, I'm not sure you'd have heard of it, but still, that's a pretty impressive feat, believe me."

Phil examines the card for a second, scratching his hairy chin in thought. Then, with a contemptuous flick of his hand, he bats the card aside.

"Nice try, blondie," the satyr says dismissively. "But I don't care if you're a member of Alexander the Great's somatophylakes, there's no way you're fighting in this tournament. Especially not a little girl like you! I mean, you could get hurt."

"What did you call me?" Azlyn demands in steely tones, every muscle in her body suddenly empowered by cold fury.

"I think you heard me," the satyr replies in a cold tone of his own, poking the knight's kneecap boldly. "_Sweetie_."

"Okay," the girl says calmly, her muscles unclenching. Nonchalantly, she takes a step back and turns away.

A fraction of a second later she's spun back around, and has Phil's throat in her grip, lifting the tiny satyr off the ground.

"Whaddya got to say now, _Philly-boy_!" she roars shaking the goat-man back and forth.

"Oh god, Azlyn!" Telary yells, rushing forward to stop his counterpart's madness. Sora, however, is kind of enjoying seeing the condescending little goat-man get put in his place, and blocks the mage's way.

"I got… two words for you, missy," Phil manages to choke out in between gasps. "SEC-URITY!"

**KH-KH-KH**

Sora, Azlyn, and Telary all hit the sandy ground of the coliseum's courtyard hard, forcibly ejected at the hands of Phil's absolutely enormous security staff. For a moment they simply lay prone on the ground, resting.

"That stupid goat is full of crap!" Azlyn protests, the first to rise despite the fact that she had, per the satyr's instructions, been ejected the hardest of the trio. "This is just wrong!"

"Yeah, security is just one word!" Sora chimes in, speech slurred, obviously still a little dazed from the forceful ejection.

"Well, you _did _assault him!" Telary points out, pulling a mega-sized potion bottle out from his belt pouch. Sighing, he takes a big gulp before passing it to Azlyn. "Which, I'd like it to be on the record, I tried to _stop_ you from doing!"

"Oh, save it, Telary!" Azlyn sneers as she passes off the bottle, now two-thirds empty, to Sora, who eagerly gulps the rest down.

"I guess we won't be getting any information about Riku and Kairi from that Phil guy," the Keyblade wielder sighs, standing up and brushing the dust off his clothes. "Or competing in the games either."

"Oh, I wouldn't give up so soon," a smooth voice chuckles from behind the boy. Turning, Sora sees a tall man with blue skin, dressed in a grey and black toga, secured at the shoulder by a skull pin. In lieu of hair, blue flames dance atop his head.

"Who are you?" Azlyn asks warily, fists balling in anticipation of a fight.

"Relax, sweetie, relax," the man says placatingly, holding out his hands to show he means no harm.

"Do you know what happened to the last guy who called me sweetie?"

"He got his thugs to throw you out of the building," Telary answers, unhelpfully.

"Sorry there ma'am," the man apologizes smoothly. "I didn't mean any offense by that at all, I assure you. In fact, to reassure you of my good will, why don't I take the liberty of offering you… A gift!"

Reaching into the folds of his garment, the flame-haired man draws forth three long pieces of papyrus and hands them to Sora, who examines them in his hands.

"Tournament passes!" the boy exclaims, looking up at his strange new benefactor with disbelief in his eyes. "Can we enter the games with these?"

"Sure you can, squirt! And there's nothing that stubborn old goat can do about it."

Azlyn examines the passes over Sora's shoulder, then squints suspiciously at their provider. "There's got to be a catch to all this, right? Something you want in return?"

"No, nothing like that!" the man assures her. "I just hate to see young people being forced to give up on their dreams. Breaks my heart, really it does. I don't want anything in return, I promise!"

Azlyn's still not completely convinced, but she also knows not to look a gift horse in the mouth. She and Sora turn towards Telary for a conference.

"I say we use these passes, and show that dumb old Philoctetes that we _do _have what it takes to be heroes!" she declares, snatching one of the passes from Sora's hand.

"I thought you said that this tournament would be a waste of time," the Keyblade wielder reminds the knight slyly, grinning.

"Well, that was before some half-goat, half-loser bald guy no higher than my shin told me I couldn't compete in it!"

Sora offers the third pass to Telary, who very reluctantly reaches out and takes it. The mage already has a bad feeling about this whole affair.

"Well thanks again mister…" Sora begins, but when he turns, the mysterious flame-haired man is nowhere to be found. "Huh."

Azlyn is already halfway up the steps into the lobby, and Sora heads after her. After taking one last wary look around for the mysterious man that had provided the passes, Telary sighs and jogs to catch up with his companions.

Upon seeing who has entered his lobby, Phil is ready to yell out for his security personnel to return when Azlyn waves her tournament pass triumphantly in front of his face.

"Look what we have here, goat face!" the knight declares proudly. Phil looks up at her suspiciously, and in his peripheral vision manages to catch a look at Sora and Telary's passes as well.

"Well I'll be!" the satyr says incredulously, grabbing Azlyn's pass and gesturing for the others to hand him theirs as well. Once he has all three in hand, he gives them another thorough examination. They all seem to check out.

"Now you _can't _stop us from participating in your dumb games, can you?" Azlyn brags proudly, crossing her arms and giving the satyr a triumphant grin.

"Well, yeah, I could," Phil states matter-of-factly, eliminating Azlyn's grin instantaneously.

"But we have these passes!" Sora argues, "They're supposed to guarantee us entry."

"Well that might be true…" Phil amends, though it's clear he has a follow up. "If Lady Temper over there hadn't _physically assaulted me_!"

Sora glares at his companion, who at least has the good sense to look guilty.

"So, should we just go or…?" Telary asks, truly chomping at the bit to escape the awkward nightmare he's found himself trapped in.

"I've been doing some thinking just now, actually," Philoctetes says amicably, a grin suddenly appearing on his bearded face. "And I gotta tell you, I ain't seen nobody fight harder for a spot in these games in a long time. And the fact that you went out and tracked down passes so fast after I kicked you out? I mean, these things aren't easy to come by."

Telary considers explaining about the flame-haired man who had given the trio their passes out of the apparent goodness of his own heart, no-strings-attached, but quickly realizes that that would not be a great idea.

"So we're in?" Sora asks hopefully, fists clenched at his sides, leaning in close to the satyr.

"I still need to get a feel for your abilities, maybe give you some tips," Phil explains, a look in his eye that's a cross between giddy and malicious. "But if you three can prove yourselves to me, I'll let you compete in the games this afternoon."

Sora and Azlyn let out twin whoops of excitement, and even actually hug each other briefly. After a moment, though, their adrenaline fades and the pair realizes what they're doing, leading to a quick and awkward separation.

"We gotta hurry, though, if you're gonna be ready in time for opening ceremonies," Phil says, tossing the passes aside to be sorted later and heading over to the arena entrance, tugging the chain to one side and opening up the space. He plods in coolly, and Azlyn and Sora immediately follow suit, still grinning like loons.

Telary is left standing in the lobby with the overwhelming sense that this particular adventure has gotten _very_ far out of hand.

**KH-KH-KH**

Almost an hour later, Azlyn sits resting on a bench in front of one of the coliseum's practice arenas, a place where contestants could prepare themselves for the trials of actual arena combat.

Both boys are busy with their assessments now, Sora in the main area practicing against the same barrel destroying exercise Azlyn had been run through a few minutes ago. Phil's off with Telary in another area, probably doing some kind of magical training, which the knight assumes her friend will pass with flying colors. Whatever else can be said about Telary, and that's a lot of things, the guy knows his way around a wand.

Sora seems to be proving himself to not be a slouch in the combat department himself, though from the few fights they've been in together Azlyn knows that. It's just a bit different to be able to just sit back and observe, rather than fighting for her life beside him.

He's reasonably quick, hopping from one barrel to another, smashing them while running against the time limit. His strength could use some work, but perhaps with mystical power behind all of his blows it doesn't need to be fantastic.

This whole experience with the games has forced Azlyn to face up with the fact that she and the Keyblade wielder aren't actually all that different. They both know what they want and go after it, that's for sure, reflexively bristling against naysayers. It's even helped her understand his actions in Wonderland a bit better.

That's probably where they're most different, she admits to herself. Sora believes in things, has an excellent sense of morality, and is actually on this quest for the right reasons. Maybe that's another reason why Azlyn is hesitant to tell him the truth about her and Telary. Sora wants to find his friends to help them, and Azlyn is only concerned with locating the king to help herself. If she admitted that to Sora, she worries that maybe he could never respect her ever again.

Her thought process is interrupted by a loud and unexpected spurt of ladylike tittering and giggling coming from the entrance to the arena. Turning, Azlyn sees Telary walking through the tunnel, cheeks burning red like they've been in the sun for an entire afternoon. Both his hands are stuffed in his pockets, and he keeps his head low.

"What's with you?" Azlyn asks as he approaches her bench and plops down onto it, his shoulders stooping and his face concentrating on the ground. "And what was with all that giggling? Were you flirting with someone?"

Telary's face shoots up, alarmed at that thought. Truth be told, the notion alarms Azlyn as well. The thought of Telary having some kind of romantic interaction with a young lady just seems impossible to her, and even makes her a little uncomfortable. For some unknown reason.

"No, trust me," the mage explains, resting his elbows on his knees and interlocking his fingers to form a little table to place his chin on. His eyes focus to somewhere in the middle distance and stick there.

"So what happened?" she presses, nudging her counterpart with her elbow.

"Well, Phil said that my biggest problem is that I've got too many nerves," he explains, leaning back and looking at Azlyn, though his gaze darts to the ground frequently. "That if I get out in front of a crowd, like there'll be during the fights, I might freeze up. So…"

"So what?"

"Well, so to combat that problem, he had me do some magic in front of other, uh, people. Well, they were wood nymphs, actually, three of them. All girls."

"Did you choke?"

"No, actually I managed to perform pretty well after a bit!" Telary says cheerfully, before his face falls and he turns away from Azlyn once more. "And since I did so well in round one, Phil made me go through it again, but…"

Azlyn tenses up in the pause that follows. If that dumb billy goat hurt Telary in the name of some twisted training exercise, her hands will be right back around his throat, and damn the consequences.

"The second time he made me do it in my underwear!" Telary finishes, his face returning to the shelter of his hands.

Azlyn is quiet for a moment, then starts bursting out laughing, which isn't helping Telary one bit.

"Hey!" the mage protests, standing up from the bench and looking down at his counterpart all offended, hands planted firmly on hips. "That's not funny!"

"It shouldn't be!" Azlyn admits, actual tears forming in her eyes. The thought of Telary, standing in the middle of a circle of lady spirits of the forest, casting spells in his boxers… It's just too much!

Eventually she manages to calm down, wiping errant moisture from her eyes as her laughter subsides.

"Sorry about that Telary, really," Azlyn apologizes, _very _unconvincingly. "I shouldn't have gotten that much pleasure out of that, sorry." Telary slumps back into his seat on the bench. After a second, Azlyn's curiosity takes hold of her once more. "Did you pass that one too?"

"Eventually," he sighs. "It felt like forever though."

"They were laughing at you?"

"I wish. Lots of whistling, though, for whatever reason."

Surprisingly enough, it's _that _statement that kills Azlyn's curiosity. Looking back over at the field, she sees that Phil is talking to Sora about something, probably dispensing what he thinks is some kind of sage advice. A few coliseum attendants are setting up new barrels, probably for Sora's official timed run.

"I have a question for you, Azlyn," Telary says, breaking the silence that had slowly but surely crept into _uncomfortable _territory.

"What?"

"Earlier today, when you pulled out that Royal Guard membership card…" the mage pauses for a moment, gathering the courage to ask the question, or the resolve to hear the answer to it. "How did you get that?"

"Forged it," she whispers to him conspiratorially after making sure Phil isn't looking. He's not, carefully watching Sora, hands on his hips.

"Azlyn!" Telary says, admonishment and shock abundantly evident in the exclaimed word. "How could…?"

"Oh, yeah, _that's _the worst thing I've done!" she shoots back defensively, though it isn't actually much of a defense.

Over at the barrel course, Sora lets out a joyous cry as he finishes the last barrel off with a slash of the Keyblade.

"Told you I could do it!" he shouts down to Phil, who's standing at the edge of the practice area actually looking impressed.

"Yeah, well, you'll be up against more than barrels in this tournament, I can guarantee you that much," Phil replies, half-derisively. "Now get down here, I gotta have a talk with you and your little friends."

A few seconds later, Phil stares down Sora, Azlyn, and Telary. Sora looks eager, Azlyn is projecting ambivalence, and Telary is having a difficult time just looking the satyr in the eye. None of them are exactly hero material yet, but the potential is clear as crystal to the old hero trainer. Not that far removed from another of his trainees, truth be told.

"Now this tournament ain't exactly big, only a few participants," Phil explains, beginning to pace back and forth. Every member of the trio's eyes are on him now, following his movement back and forth. "But remember Rule #16: Never let your guard down, not for one second. Some real wierdos showed up. Do you got what it takes?"

"YES SIR!" all three reply in unison, though Telary's is admittedly at bit weaker than the other two's.

"Well then get ready kids," Phil declares. "Because the games are about to begin!"

**KH-KH-KH**

The stadium isn't terribly crowded, Sora notes as he sneaks a peek out from the tunnel where he, Azlyn, and Telary are currently waiting for the match to begin. There are probably a dozen people on each set of seats on each side of the main floor, a square brick area set in the sandy ground, a stone pillar sticking up from each corner. Phil had explained that the pillars were to stabilize the magic that kept all combat contained within the area.

"Can you guys believe this?" he says when he finally manages to tear his eyes away from the crowd. Azlyn's leaning up against one wall, trying to look as if she doesn't care that much, and for some odd reason Telary keeps checking his belt every few seconds.

"It _will_ at least be a nice break from fighting for our lives," Telary admits with a bit of faux cheer, an unconvincing smile on his lips. "And I'm _really _glad we haven't seen any sign of the Heartless yet."

Out in the arena, the crowd begins to cheer wildly at the appearance of Hermes, messenger of the gods and self-appointed MC of the Olympus Coliseum Cup Tournament Series. Fluttering down on wings attached to his ankles, he grins mischievously at the crowd as he spins slowly in a circle, taking it all in.

"Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls of all ages, to the Olympus Coliseum Cup Series Preliminary Tournament, a few match ups we've thrown together as a preview for the dedicated viewing public!" the little god announces, flitting back and forth from one end of the arena to the other. "I won't waste time now, I know what you've come here to see, so here they are folks, the first team fighting in our kickoff round today: Sora, Azlyn, and Telary, the dreaded SAT!"

The crowd cheers as the trio take the field. Sora waves up at all of his new fans, a huge grin on his face at the noise and excitement coming off the crowd in waves. Azlyn maintains composure, hoping to maybe cultivate a bit of impressive mystique, and Telary tries to keep his eyes away from the crowds, checking his belt one last time to make sure. He hopes nobody thinks he's grabbing for his crotch.

Finally the trio reaches the fighting grounds and stops, Sora giving one final wave as the crowd dies down and waits for the next team to be announced.

"And now, the challengers," Hermes says in a low voice, eyes shifting back and forth as if in a state of frightened suspense. "They don't say much, but words don't matter in the arena folks. Especially not to… The Shadow Scouts!"

As the competitors emerge into the arena, Sora, Azlyn, and Telary all freeze, eyes locked dead ahead at the Heartless approaching.

Four Soldiers march forward in their awkward, lurching way, forming a single file line. On one side of the line float two odd creatures with blue bodies, the Heartless crest displayed prominently in the middle. Tiny black heads peek out from there, yellow eyes hidden under golden helms that resemble the design on the head Telary's mage wand.

"Heartless!" Sora exclaims, summoning the Keyblade. Behind him, Azlyn and Telary prepare their weapons as well.

"Oh boy, folks!" Hermes buzzes excitedly from above. "Looks to me like we've got ourselves something of a grudge match here!" Quickly, the blue skinned god floats down to Sora. "So, hey there, Sora. It looks like you've seen your opponent somewhere before. Where might you fellas know each other from?"

Sora stumbles, struggling to find the words to explain the fact that for some odd reason a group of malicious, heart-eating world destroyers have decided to get interested in a sports competition.

"Let's just say we've dealt with their like before," Azlyn explains for the save. "And it's for damn certain we'll be able to do it again here, eh boys?"

The boys in question nod along. Above the arena, the crowd cheers in response to Azlyn's confident assertion.

"Well, we're about to find out," Hermes chuckles as he ascends a few feet, out of harm's way for when the fighting begins. "Because this match begins in three, two, one… GO!"

The Heartless make the first move, obviously not as daunted by their opponents as the trio are. The odd blue ones each fire off a blast of frigid ice, aiming for the team.

Sora and Azlyn dodge the projectiles easily, and Telary manages to stumble out of harm's immediate way as well. Azlyn performs a barrel roll, and swings her shield up as she rises, cleaving the blue Heartless in two.

Sora meanwhile finds himself contending with all four Soldiers at once. He knocks one back with two strong hits from the Keyblade, but immediately another sets upon him. He feels a sting in his back as the Heartless' claws rake against it, followed by a blossoming of heat. Turning, he sees that it was Telary who had provided it, destroying the creature with a fire spell.

Azlyn raises her shield barely in time to deflect an ice blast from the remaining Blue Rhapsody, charging forward and slamming it back in retaliation. The creature whirls back through the air, and Azlyn hurls her shield after it, destroying it before it can recover.

Sora has meanwhile been able to make quick work of two other Soldiers, and now he and the remaining one circle each other slowly, each waiting for the opportunity to deliver a fatal strike.

The fight comes to an anticlimax, however, when Azlyn, having finished off all of the Nocturnes, delivers the Soldier a devastating double kick, both feet knocking into the creature's back, which sends it to the floor of the arena. Having taken too much damage to keep going, the creature fades into darkness.

The cheers of the crowd are louder than ever now, even as Sora, Azlyn, and Telary find their way to each other in the middle of the combat space.

"Ladies and gentleman, it looks like SAT has clenched its first victory! Aren't they fabulous, folks?" Hermes exclaims, enflaming the already excited spectators. "They're going on to the next round folks, and who knows, they could go ALL THE WAY!"

Sora, Azlyn, and Telary take their moment now to bask in the glow of the crowd's praise. With the exception of a nervous looking Telary, the team plays into the crowd, waving their hands in the air and pumping their fists. It's a rush none of them will soon forget.

Eventually though, the yells and admonition of Phil cuts through even the sound of the crowds admiration, and the trio return to the sidelines so things can get set for the next match.

No one says anything until they reach the tunnel, away from the bulk of the noise of their appreciating public.

"Well, Phil," Azlyn says smugly, a great big grin decorating her face, "how do you like us now, huh? Was that heroic enough for you?"

"You did…" Phil says, pausing as he searches for the right words to convey his feelings on the match. "Pretty adequate, kids. I'll give you that."

"We wiped the floor with those guys!" Sora whines, crossing his arms and glaring angrily at the goat-man. "They barely even touched us!"

"That one I saw sure touched you!" Phil counters. Sora rubs at the spot on his back where the Soldier's claws were able to score a blow. "Look, don't get too down here kids. You three are good, though some of your technique could use some work. And hey, you won, you're guaranteed a spot in the semis, you did good, alright? Rule #72: Take everything with a grain of salt, but take it just the same."

With that bit of sage advice dispensed, the satyr heads out towards the arena, leaving the trio alone in the tunnel.

"The semi-finals already?" Telary says incredulously, thinking things over in his head, "It feels like that should take more effort than it did…"

"Okay, so now that our match is done," Azlyn says, in an attempt to focus her companions, "I think we should talk about the fact that the Heartless have signed up for this tournament."

"Yeah, that is weird," Sora agrees, scratching his head in confusion. "I mean, I thought they were just mindless monsters, but they seem, I don't know…"

"Organized?" Telary chimes in, earning a nod of agreement from both of his friends. "I was just thinking that too. And when you add in the fact that they somehow managed to both frame _and _kidnap Alice…"

"It starts to suggest that they're not so much mindless monsters," Azlyn concludes the mage's thought, "as much as they are, uh, minded monsters."

None of the trio really knows what to think of this development. _Could _the Heartless actually have some kind of master plan? Or might it be that something, or some_one_ is controlling them for a nefarious purpose?

The notion is put aside for the moment, however, as the trio make their way into the stands to watch the next match. They find seats easily enough, squeezing in next to the heavily muscled man Telary had spotted when they'd arrived. Naturally, Telary ends up right next to him.

"Great day for a tournament, huh?" Telary asks, trying to make conversation. The man simply turns to the mage and grunts. This should be the beginning and the end of attempts at conversation, but it isn't, which is a mistake on Telary's part. "I think so. The sun's shining, it's not cold out. Not that it's too warm either, actually. It's just nice. Are you competing in the tournament? Because I saw you earlier coming out of the lobby, and I guess I just figured you were signing up in there." Telary pauses, which if he was wiser he would convert into a complete silence, but after a moment he unwisely presses on. "Say, do you have a brother by any chance? Maybe he works in security? I'm only asking because I got thrown out by security earlier today, and I gotta say, the guy who did it looked a lot like you."

"Telary, shut up!" Azlyn admonishes the boy from his left, smacking him on the arm. "The next match is about to start!"

"Oh, sorry!" he apologizes, turning back to the gladiator on his right to end their conversation. He finds, however, that the man took advantage of his momentary distraction and left. Telary's face falls at the revelation.

Hermes once again floats into the view of the crowd, who all roar at the top of their lungs in response. For a moment the messenger of the gods lets it all soak in, closing his eyes and reveling in the excited chants of the masses.

"Get on with it!" a voice yells from the crowd to cut short the god's grandstanding.

Telary and Sora hide their faces in their hands as everyone traces back the source of the heckling to Azlyn, who is easy to spot by virtue of the fact that she's the only one standing up.

"Well alrighty then, you heard it folks, let's get this show started!" Hermes continues on, seemingly unfazed by the heckling he just received. "First up in the arena is a group of challengers that run hotter _and_ colder than my last three lovers, please welcome to the arena Heat and Freeze!"

Two lines of five of the tiny floating Heartless drift out of the tunnel into the main area of the arena, but although one line is made up of the familiar blue kind the trio had faced in their last match, the others are colored fiery red. Reaching the arena floor, the line of Red Nocturnes float up until each one is hovering precisely over the Blue Rhapsody below it. All in all, it looks professional and highly coordinated.

"Look at that form!" Hermes coos, floating down to the level of one of the Red Nocturne's. "Tell me, hon, how do you get coordination like that?"

The Heartless shoots out a fireball in response nearly scorching the god, who just barely manages to avoid being singed. Not that it would do too much damage, though, considering the whole god thing.

"Well whaddya know, one of my exes used to do that too!" Hermes chuckles nervously, before regaining his composure and announcer flair. "And next up is the challenger, a quiet young man with skills that defy description and hair that defies gravity. Ladies and gentleman, put your hands together for Cloud Strife!"

A young man who looks to be about Leon's age walks through the tunnel at the opposite end of the coliseum, dressed in a sleeveless blue shirt and matching pants with a white waistband. His feet are clad in heavy black boots, and a large red cape flows down his shoulder. His blond hair is spiked even more dramatically than Sora's, and does in fact seem to be defying gravity.

In his gloved right hand he carries a truly enormous sword, covered completely in filthy bandages.

Everyone in the arena goes silent. Telary notices that Azlyn's mouth is hanging open freely, eyes fixated on the man in the arena. Or possibly just his huge sword. Sora looks impressed as well, though his reaction is certainly several bars below the knight's.

Cloud looks up at them all with disdain, then flicks his nose dismissively and continues his slow and steady walk to the battle arena. When he reaches it he stops and gives the crowd another look like they're all beneath him.

Slowly but steadily the noise begins to rise again. Taking advantage, Hermes increases his height and gets ready to announce.

"Well folks, you came here to see a fight, right?" he asks boisterously, and the crowd responds with as great exuberance as they had before. "Then let's get things started. Heat and Freeze versus Cloud Strife… BEGIN!"

Not a second after Hermes has finished announcing the match's beginning, all ten Heartless each fire off a shot of elemental energy, heat from the top row, cold from the bottom. The magical bursts seem to all hone in on Cloud, and it seems that there will be no escape for the man.

Not true, as it turns out.

Even as the blasts descend on him, Cloud remains still and composed, gripping the hilt of his enormous sword in two hands. Then, the blasts converge, and still he appears as calm and impassive as ever. Is he paralyzed with fear, overconfident, taking a dive intentionally?

The impact of all of the forces of fire and ice all collapsing in on each other creates an enormous wall of steam, obscuring almost the entire arena in impenetrable mist. It seems that the combined might of all the elemental blasts have felled Cloud, if not disintegrated him entirely.

Not so.

Suddenly, the steam clears, the result of a single swing from Cloud's massive, bandaged sword. It appears that the man did in fact manage to escape the convergence of magical forces.

He charges directly at the Heartless, sword raised high. The creatures try to scatter, but with a truly impressive jump Cloud manages to close the gap between him and them quicker than they can escape.

His first swing, coming down from the leap, immediately takes out four Heartless, two Rhapsodies and two Nocturnes. He turns and, with another swing, destroys two more Nocturnes, leaving one red Heartless and two blue to scurry through the air in terror.

They both fire off a cold blast at their suddenly advantage-having opponent, but he raises the flat end of his sword in time to absorb the blows. Ice blossoms from the impact point to cover about two-thirds of the blade, but Cloud hardly seems to notice.

He jumps at the nearest Rhapsody, missing it on the swing that comes as he lands, but easily catching it with the backhanded blow that follows. Swirling, he notices the Red Nocturne across the arena powering up a fire spell.

Not looking terribly concerned at the whole affair he simply reaches out a gloved hand and plucks the remaining Blue Rhapsody from the air, holding onto it by the tip of its yellow hat. Twirling, his cape fanning out rather dashingly behind him as he does, Cloud holds up the blue Heartless to deflect the blast from the red. The Rhapsody disappears with a high pitched shriek.

The Nocturne prepares another blast, but Cloud doesn't give it time to finish. Gripping his sword once again in two hands, Cloud thrusts the point out, propelling himself across half the arena and skewering his only remaining opponent.

The crowd is silent for a few moments, then immediately erupts into a roar of thunderous applause. Sora and Azlyn both rise to their feet along with the rest of the stadium, and after a moment of observing his companions, Telary understands that he should stand as well.

All three clap, but Telary is much more subdued about it than his companions. Azlyn actually sticks two fingers into her mouth and lets out a whistle.

Cloud accepts the applause without even a nod. Turning, he takes the same slow and steady march back to the tunnel, not even appearing to notice that the crowd around him is in uproar.

"Well, folks, you saw it here today!" Hermes announces, gesturing to the now empty arena of battle. "Warriors of skill and cunning versus unknown challengers who never seem to stick around afterwards for an exit interview! And we've only got one more match before we begin our semi-final round. Don't leave now folks, things are just getting warmed up!"

"Wow," Sora says, turning to his companions with a huge grin on his face, "That guy was good! I'm kind of amazed."

"I'm kind of scared," Telary admits, thinking about the possibility of squaring off against Cloud in the arena.

"I'm in love," Azlyn exclaims, eyes bright even as they linger on the tunnel Cloud had just disappeared down.

"Yeah, he's a real toughie, that guy," Phil's voice appears suddenly beside Sora. Startled, the boy yells and jumps back in his seat. "I bet you ten-two-one it comes down to you and him in the finals."

"We can beat him!" Sora announces confidently, though his voice shakes a bit.

"Yeah," Azlyn agrees, grinning. "I don't even care if I mess up that gorgeous face doing it. If it's us against him, we're taking him down!"

The pair both swivel their gazes towards Telary, who only after a second realizes that the eyes are on him. Realizing he has to say something confident quickly, he weakly adds, "Go team!"

"Well, you still gotta get through your next match to have the chance," Phil reminds the trio sternly. "And I've seen the guys you're gonna be up against. They're bruisers, I can already tell."

"Oh, please," Azlyn scoffs, waving her hand dismissively. "How tough could they be?"

**KH-KH-KH**

Telary is out within the first minute of the fight, falling unconscious from the Large Body's fist directly to his chest. Luckily, the Coliseum matches are set up so that any (Non-Heartless, apparently) combatants are removed from the ring automatically upon sustaining sufficient damage to cause them to lose consciousness.

The good thing for the remaining pair is that he managed to eliminate all but one Blue Rhapsody and one Red Nocturne out of the four of each that had appeared initially on the field of battle.

Azlyn, despite having been singed by the fire blast of one of the Nocturne's, remains steady by Sora's side, her shield held out in front of her to deflect any unpleasant attacks.

"You take out the flying guys," Sora suggests, gripping his Keyblade tightly, crouched in his customary battle stance. "You've got better range. I'll find some way to deal with the big guy."

The aforementioned "Big Guy", and the obvious source of the Heartless team's name "The Big One" is a massive round Heartless clad in a purple jumpsuit similar to that of the Soldiers, although on it, it covers next to nothing, split at the seams to reveal the creature's massive blue chest, the Heartless symbol displayed there seeming a most tempting target. If only it hadn't proven its front side invulnerable to attack.

Azlyn nods and rushes forward. The Large Body lumbers up to her and swings its massive fist horizontally at her, but she leaps over it, throwing her shield at the thing's head at the apex of her jump.

The shield bounces off the head of the Heartless, which does seem to at least confuse it for a moment, then ricochets directly into the Red Nocturne hovering nearby, lining up its magical shot at Azlyn and therefore oblivious to the threat until the very second the shield hits and slices cleanly through it.

Azlyn performs a forward somersault and reaches out, landing perfectly under her falling shield and plucking it from the air back into her hand.

Sora meanwhile, hoping to take advantage of the Large Body's confused state, leaps forward and brings the Keyblade down with a roar of challenge. The blade bounces off harmlessly. Grimacing, the boy jumps, tucks, and rolls to the side just as the Heartless brings its fist down upon spot where he'd just been standing.

Azlyn deflects an icy blast from the Blue Rhapsody, which is floating high above where she can feasibly reach. Growling, she tries anyway, jumping and hurling her shield at the creature, which dodges easily by floating to one side.

Seeing the opportunity its currently unarmed opponent presents, the Heartless fires off an icy blast, which Azlyn dodges easily.

Running from the Large Body, Sora nearly slips on the icy patch left behind by the Rhapsody's attack. He manages to recover though, and dodge to the side just as the Heartless hurtles forward, belly first. It isn't as fortunate as he was, however, and falls flat on its stomach after failing to gain footing on the icy ground.

With an uproarious yell, the boy charges forward and brings the Keyblade down on the Large Body's back this appears to do the trick, as the massive creature disappears in the customary manner of all defeated Heartless.

The Blue Rhapsody is all that remains of the enemy team, floating high above the pair on the ground.

"How are we supposed to reach that thing?" Azlyn demands, dodging to the side of a blast of frosty energy. "It won't come down!"

After a moment of thinking about the problem, a plan suddenly forms in Sora's mind.

"Well then," he says to his companion with a mischievous grin, "we'll just have to go up!"

Thinking on it, Azlyn soon gets the idea of what Sora is saying. Holding her shield angled in front of her, she nods to confirm readiness to her partner. Sora rushes forward and jumps, landing with both feet on the shield. Azlyn allows a little give before pushing her weapon up, which when combined with Sora's leap propels the Keyblade wielder through the air.

The Rhapsody tries to dodge, but a backhand blow from Sora knocks it down, sending the creature hurtling for the ground. Grinning, Azlyn rushes to position herself under the flailing Heartless and slices through it cleanly with her shield's edge, ending the match and securing victory.

The crowd roars its approval. Nodding to each other in acknowledgement of victory, the pair bow to their adoring public.

"What a match folks!" Hermes says enthusiastically. "Looks like these crazy kids are going to the finals!"

The crowd cheers even louder for a moment, and both Sora and Azlyn take a moment to bask in the attentions of the crowd.

After a few seconds though, Phil trots out to the field, takes both of the pair by the wrists, and all but drags them back to the tunnel. As he does so, however, neither Sora nor Azlyn can resist a few last waves at the still cheering crowd.

Telary is waiting for them at the entrance to the tunnel, smiling brightly at the both of them.

"Good job!" he congratulates, trailing behind the still silent Phil. "Sorry I couldn't help out more, that thing just… I mean talk about your fisting."

The odd and inappropriate turn of phrase breaks Azlyn and Sora out of their post-victory fugue, and both stare at the mage oddly.

"Yeah, I heard it," he sighs, mouth twisting in a grimace.

Finally Phil stops about halfway through the tunnel, releasing Sora and Azlyn from his grip. He gives a glance to either side of the tunnel, as if watching for danger.

"Not bad, you two," he finally says, actually sounding cheerful for the first time any of the trio can recall. "Not bad at all! Maybe I didn't really give you guys a fair rub at first. But that bit of fighting, it might even have impressed _him_…"

"Who's him?" Sora asks, curious to know more about someone Philoctetes would speak of with such respect in his voice.

"Well, only the greatest hero to ever walk the earth!" the satyr exclaims. "Hercules! He's my greatest student, y'know. The gods put a picture of him in the stars and everything!"

Telary wonders how that would work, considering every star is a world, but decides to dismiss the notion as unimportant.

"Sounds like a real goody-goody," Azlyn remarks, sneering a bit. "If he's so great, then why haven't we seen him around here?"

"Oh, he's off visiting his dad," Phil explains. "He chose to remain mortal, rather than become a full-fledged god, but he still likes to visit the old man occasionally."

"A god?" Sora asks, just to confirm. Phil nods. "Wow. I'd really like to meet him someday!"

"You might regret saying that later, kid," Phil says with a laugh. "Winner of the tournament gets free entry into the actual cup. And the winner of the cup gets a chance to take Herc himself on! I ain't got high hopes for the warrior what tries, but it should be a good match."

"We could take him on, no problem!" Azlyn declares, raising a strong fist in the air for emphasis.

Phil laughs, a full belly laugh that lasts for a solid minute. "Sure thing, kid," he says after he's done. "Which, hey, brings me to the point I really wanted to make. You three made a lotta rookie mistakes back there, and don't think you're getting back in that arena until we've made progress on every single one of them! First of all, Red, you still looked a little nervous out there in front of the crowd. Maybe we can get rid of that with a little more, well, actually, a little _less_…"

**KH-KH-KH**

Cloud stalks off the field in his usual slow way, blocking out the noises of the still going-ape crowd back in the arena.

That last fight had been a bit more challenging than his first, but nothing that he couldn't handle in less than a couple of minutes. The challenger hadn't even managed to scratch him, big and burly though the man was.

As soon as he steps into the tunnel, he can see and feel the world blur around him, until he finds himself once again in the private office of the man who had hired him.

Well, the _god_ who had hired him, actually.

"Well, congratulations on another _marvelous_ victory!" Hades, lord of the dead and god of the Underworld, says, though the praise inherent in the words is highly diluted by the god's usual smarmy tone. He sit in the cushioned seat of a grey throne, skulls carved into each of its arms.

_Means to an end, Cloud,_ the man thinks, _Means to an end_.

"I mean, I wasn't directly controlling that guy like I am the Heartless, so for a second I was almost worried. But it seems you managed to pull it off, and get yourself into the finals. Your adoring public will be so proud."

"I did what I was paid to do," he replies flatly, and the disinterest in his tone is not nearly as forced as it usually is. "As long as you keep up your end of our deal, that's what I'll keep doing."

"Good," Hades says slimily, a slick smile on his blue face. The sharp points of his teeth shine in the flickering torchlight. "I love a guy who's committed to his cause, I really do."

With a snap of his fingers, the god of the Underworld opens a portal with a view of Sora, Azlyn, and Telary's practice field.

"These are your next opponents," Hades explains, like Cloud is a child or some kind of simpleton. "I know they may not look like much…"

At the moment they definitely don't. Sora is blindfolded, swinging desperately in an attempt to deflect the stones Phil keeps hurling at him. He doesn't hit a single one. Azlyn is being held upside down with some kind of leather straps holding her feet, throwing her shield at a target and missing every time. And Telary is off in the corner, clad only in an honest-to-Zeus wooden barrel, with leather straps holding it up on his shoulders, casting spells at a target of his own. The spells almost uniformly go wide, missing the target completely.

"…But trust me, you're gonna want to be careful. Especially when it comes to the kid waving the giant key around like he's trying to unlock a piñata."

"The Lord of the Underworld is afraid of a kid?" Cloud says with a sneer, thumbing his nose nonchalantly.

"Look, enough with the questions, pal. Just kill him, alright?"

"That's not going to happen," Cloud protests, stepping up to Hades, a move no one has been bold enough to pull in years. No mere mortal, anyway. "My contract says…"

"I know what your damn contract says!" the god yells testily, strands of red appearing in his otherwise blue-burning hair. "I wrote it, okay, so don't repeat words back to me that _I already wrote_!"

"Then keep to those words. Otherwise, I don't care what you say you can do for me, I _will _walk."

Hades takes a second to breathe, restore his cool. "Fine, do what you think is _right_," he says with mocking emphasis and a cruel sneer. "Just understand that if you don't handle things to my liking, I may have to terminate our agreement outright. And believe me when I tell you that you do _not _want that, okay?"

"Fine," Cloud practically spits out, a hard look in his eyes. Scowling at the thought of what he's about to do, he turns and walks away, trusting Hades to return him to the arena proper.

Hades takes a moment to fume after teleporting Cloud out of his throne room in the Underworld.

"Geez," he says to himself, crossing his arms and leaning back, using his godly powers to keep himself from falling over. "He's stiffer than some of the guys I got shacking up down here!"

A thoughtful look on his face, the god of the Underworld turns to the window overlooking his domain. Bounding up the path in the distance is what he considers his own personal insurance policy, just in case.

"Still though, he might surprise me," Hades concedes. "And if not, well…"

The bone-rattling roar that rises up is assurance enough that everything will work itself out. All according to his design.

**KH-KH-KH**

Though the sun has gone down and the field is lit only from the fires raging in pots all around the upper lip of the arena, the crowd at Olympus Coliseum has indeed actually _grown_ since the tournament began. Evidently good word of mouth has been spread.

"Okay, ladies and gentleman!" Hermes exclaims over the shouting that erupts over his appearance, and the inevitable beginning of the final match. "It's been a fun day here at the coliseum, and we've seen some incredible fights, but it's all come down to this. In just a few short moments, our final match will begin…"

Over in the tunnel, Sora, Azlyn, and Telary all huddle at the entrance to the arena. Telary is attempting a pep talk, and it isn't going well.

"…And to be honest, we never even found out _what _had been making that noise!" he says, the end of a supposed-to-be inspiring anecdote. "Now my money is obviously on Miss Daughtry's canary, but…"

"Oh, would you cut it out!" Azlyn snaps, nerves suppressing her limited abilities of gentleness. "The point is, our opponent is as tough as he is cute, which trust me is a lot, but it doesn't matter, we're going to smoke him anyway. Alright?"

The boys nod. Sora is grinning almost uncontrollably. He can't believe that he's just moments away from possibly being a championship arena fighter!

A part of him, though, is saddened by the thought of how much Riku would have loved to participate in something like this. After doing a bit of asking around, the trio had been able to determine that neither Riku, Kairi, nor King Mickey had been to the world recently. Another dead end.

But Sora can ill afford to give up hope. It's only been a little while since setting out on his journey, and there is so much universe left to explore. He'll find his friends.

"...Give it up for Sora, Azlyn, and Telary!" Hermes cries out, gesturing to the tunnel. The trio emerge, all looking confident. After Sora gives a grateful wave to the crowd, they walk to the arena floor as one. Cloud is already there, looking at them with impassivity.

The crowd seems to roar for a solid minute, and the combatants just stand in the middle, soaking it all in.

"Well, let's not keep you good people waiting another second!" Hermes says, floating up to an altitude high over the arena. "On your marks, get set… Go!"

SAT charges forward immediately, not wanting to give their opponent even a second to prepare. Telary shoots off a fire spell.

Cloud moves out of the way at lightning speed, and the trio try to reverse to keep up with him, but Telary ends up losing his footing and falling to the ground, smacking into the stone with a loud noise.

Sora and Azlyn successfully make the maneuver and continue their charge unabated. Cloud blocks Sora's first Keyblade swing, then quickly backpedals away from Azlyn's follow up kick.

Sora pursues, but Cloud's buster sword is held too sturdy, and each of his next three blows seem to bounce off the sword like they had the Large Body's swollen belly.

Telary has recovered by now, and charges after his opponent, refraining from firing any more spells off, just in case they might hit one of his friends. Cloud sees the mage and, having determined him the weakest of the pack, breaks off his duel with Sora, swinging the buster sword in a wide arc so he has to back off, as well as Azlyn.

With a single, almost impossibly long leap, the mercenary bounds toward Telary. He snaps out with a kick as he lands, catching the mage in the chin. The red-headed boy goes down, the coliseum's automatic systems teleporting him away from the bout.

He recovers almost instantly though, sat on a bench by the arena floor. All that training seems to have been for nothing, as he's just been taken out of the fight once again. Practically useless!

Azlyn and Sora drop into prepared stances next to each other, eyeing Cloud from across the square arena. The man stands still, holding his sword in front of him, both hands gripping the hilt.

"Plan?" Azlyn whispers to her remaining teammate, hoping he'll have a clever idea like he had in the last match.

"Don't get beaten," is all the boy is able to come up with.

"Solid," Azlyn mutters under her breath.

Sora is about to retort when Cloud moves, thrusting his sword out and almost gliding across the arena in a single smooth motion. The pair scatter, but Sora gets caught up in the rush of wind from Cloud's attack, and stumbles to the ground, coming down hard on his knee. He thinks he hears a pop.

Cloud is so caught up in the movement of battle that he doesn't even think before bringing his sword down towards the Keyblade wielder. Luckily the boy is able to fight off his pain and roll to the side, avoiding the blow.

Before the mercenary can strike again, Azlyn leaps in and throws her fist directly into his chin, sending him staggering back.

"Man," Azlyn huffs out, shaking the bit of pain that accompanied her punch out of her fist. "And here I'd promised myself I wouldn't mess up your gorgeous face."

"Won't get the chance," Cloud says back, taking his ready stance up again.

"We'll see."

Azlyn flings her shield forward at her opponent, following after it on foot quickly. Cloud deflects the flying object, only to find its flinger coming upon him once again, fists ready to fly.

All of her punches hit directly on the flat of Cloud's blade, stinging the knight's hands despite the protective leather and steel of her fighting gloves. He lashes out with his knee, hitting Azlyn directly in the stomach and sending her down. For good measure, he brings the flat of his sword down on her head too, knocking her to the floor of the arena. She is teleported out not a moment later.

When his companion appears on the ground next to him, Telary immediately thrusts a potion towards her. Once the knight is able to take it, he looks out over the arena, where Cloud is stalking almost lazily over to the prone Sora.

"C'mon, Sora…" Telary utters under his breath, teeth clenched with worry.

The fiery agony in Sora's knee has not let up, leaving him defenseless before his opponent. It's odd, he thinks after a second of watching Cloud stride towards him with his sword held out, that despite the pain he feels, he hasn't been teleported out yet.

Phil is wondering the same thing over on the sidelines, until he hears a rush of wind and catches the smell of brimstone. Horrified, he looks up to see Hades standing by his side, smirking devilishly.

"Hades!" the satyr cries, jumping back in sheer shock. "What are you doing here?"

"Well I should think it would be obvious, my stubby friend," the evil god replies with a smile that could shed the skin off a snake. "I'm making your little games more interesting than you ever could!"

Cloud knows his devotion shouldn't waiver. He has a goal he needs to accomplish and the only way is to use the power Hades can provide. Power he desperately hopes is worth the price he'll have to pay.

"What's going on?" Sora asks desperately, hoping against hope that the coliseum's systems will get working again before it's too late. "What are you…?"

"It's nothing personal, kid," Cloud mutters, hoping that will make things okay.

"Something, uh, something seems to be off, folks," Hermes says nervously to the now silent crowd. "It looks like Cloud should be our winner, but… Aagh!"

Suddenly two small imps, one skinny and blue, and the other pink and round, leap up onto the messenger god's back, dragging him down to the ground even as he screams in protest.

Telary holds Azlyn close to him, hoping that what he thinks is about to happen doesn't happen. He can feel the girl trembling.

Sora meets Cloud's eyes, and his expression hardens. "Go ahead and do it," he demands with false bravado, even as his voice starts shaking.

Cloud remains impassive even as he raises up his buster sword, the crowd gasping in fear as the blade rises. He knows now exactly what needs to be done. Closing his eyes, the man brings down his sword, point first…

Directly into the ground beside Sora, deep enough that it stands without any support. Everyone in the crowd lets out a sigh of relief, and Telary desperately fights against his urge to faint from the relief he feels.

"I'm not going to kill you, kid," Cloud says with just a hint of compassion in his monotone voice. "Nothing's worth that."

"Well, well, well," Phil gloats to the god next to him. "It looks like your little plan backfired. Too bad."

"Yeah, it seems ol' Cloudy boy just didn't have the kind of killer instinct this operation needed," Hades sighs, shaking his head sadly. A moment later though, he perks up, sneering down at Philoctetes. "Good thing I remembered Rule #3."

"Never change your underwear during a winning streak?" Phil says, confused as to how that applies in this situation.

"No, you moron!" Hades sasses back. "Rule #3: Always have a backup plan!"

Suddenly a vicious roar goes up over the coliseum. Every head in the arena turns to its source, just as a massive black dog with three vicious looking heads bounds over the wall and lands on the arena floor, knocking down two of the arena's towers in the process and negating the barrier they create.

The monster seems to only have eyes for Cloud. Roaring, it charges for the mercenary, knocking one snarling head directly into him, sending him flying across the arena floor.

Then he turns to Sora, rearing up and preparing to crush the boy, whose only regret is that he'll never be able to see Riku and Kairi again.

Before the dog can land, however, a red-haired man springs seemingly from nowhere, dressed in an orange sleeveless tunic that conforms to every one of the numerous muscles of his chest. Raising his massive arms, he stops Cerberus in his tracks.

Sora is dumbstruck by the sight, his mouth flopping open in shock.

"Get out of here!" Hercules, son of Zeus and the greatest hero alive, cries out to the arena's occupants, most of whom actually began evacuating as soon as the three-headed hell beast appeared.

Sora tries to rise, but the pain in his knee brings him down again. Then suddenly his body is enveloped in a soft green light. When it fades a second later, everything feels normal again.

Sora rises and raises the Keyblade, ready to give Hercules a hand, but suddenly a hand grabs the hood of his jacket and pulls him back. Turning, he sees that the hand belongs to Azlyn, who is urging him to join the rest of the arena in fleeing.

"But…" he tries to protest, cut off by another yank that nearly crushes his windpipe. Realizing that Azlyn is only looking out for him, Sora joins her in retreat.

**KH-KH-KH**

The trio and Phil only stop once they reach the lobby, though everyone else continues out into the coliseum courtyard.

"I thought you were done for out there kid!" Phil exclaims, wrapping both of his arms around Sora's shin affectionately. "And we've still got a buttload of training to do!"

"Don't start making a schedule yet," Sora tells Phil, shaking his leg until the satyr gets the hint and lets go. "We're going back in there." Azlyn and Telary nod their agreement.

"You can't do that!" Phil exclaims, so mad that he's actually hopping. "Cerberus'll have you for their dinner. Literally! And besides, Herc is out there. And if there's one thing you can count on, it's that Hercules…"

Suddenly the ground shakes, and a roar that definitely has notes of triumph in it suddenly fills the air.

"Okay, okay," Phil relents with a heavy sigh, "I get your point. Just be careful out there!"

"No promises," Sora replies with a smirk, even as he leads his companions back out into the arena.

Hercules is not having a great go of it. He's definitely not down for the count by any measure, but neither is he making any significant headway in defeating Hades demonic Doberman.

His normal strength and prowess is being tempered by the large unconscious man slung over his shoulders, leaving only one hand free to actually do any fighting. It's been useful so far, knocking Cerberus away with super powered blows and preventing him from doing any real damage, but even former demigods tire eventually.

Suddenly, something whirls through the air, like the discuses Hercules definitely-not-friends had played around with during childhood. This is significantly larger, however, with much more weight behind it. It slams into Cerberus's rightmost head.

Roaring in pain and annoyance, the entire tri-headed pooch turns towards the source of the attack, and finds Sora, Azlyn, and Telary all standing in battle positions at the mouth of the arena's tunnel.

"Get Cloud out of here!" Sora yells across the field to Hercules. "We've got this covered!"

Hercules nods and begins to sprint for the other tunnel, though Cerberus follows close behind, literally nipping at Herc's heels.

"Oh no you don't!" Telary cries, raising his staff into the air. "Thunder!"

In a flash, three sizzling bolts of electricity crash down from the sky and directly into Cerberus, one in each head.

In pain and enraged, the dog whips around quick as the cracking of a whip. Spotting the source of all its damages so far this evening, all three heads growl as the massive black-furred body stalks towards its new prey.

"What now?" Azlyn whispers to her companions, eyes fixated on the gigantic monster steadily creeping towards them. "Anybody got a plan?"

"Uh, b-b-beat it up?" Sora suggests, his voice wavering as he notes the closeness of the beast.

"Okay by me!"

The trio scatters in two different directions as Cerberus's front paws slam into the ground they'd just been occupying, kicking up dirt and sand.

Sora and Telary move to the right, while a foreword somersault catapults Azlyn left.

Sora reverses immediately and charges for the rightmost head, swinging his Keyblade down into the skull. The head cries out in pain as the blow registers, turning towards the boy and biting. He just barely manages to backstep away.

Azlyn goes for the left head, but a quick shake knocks her away before she can land any blows.

While his companions continue their tactics of hitting once and moving away quickly to avoid retaliation, Telary hangs back, studying the situation. After all the failure he's had in the realm of fighting today, he figures it might before the best if he just stays out of the way, maybe firing off a cure spell or a few offensive spells if necessary.

He hates this, feeling like he can't contribute, like a burden. If only he could somehow really make a difference…

Suddenly he realizes that he has no choice but to intervene, as both Azlyn and Sora sustain blows. Sora flies safely out of range, but Azlyn lies prone in front of all three of the murderous mutt's heads. They look ready to strike.

Yelling defiantly, the mage charges forward, diving through the air at the last second, arms outstretched. He manages to push Azlyn away before the jaws can close in on her.

He's not so lucky, however, as he feels teeth penetrate the fabric of both his hoodie, shirt and pants. No skin breaks, but he remains steadily held.

Then suddenly there's a great ripping noise, and he drops the ground. Sans clothing.

Scooting up onto his boxer-clad butt, Telary looks up to see Cerberus's heads shake once more, flinging the fabric in its mouths away into the wind.

The center head is not so occupied, though, and charges down towards him, mouth ready to swallow him up.

It's an odd kind of synergy that's brought Telary right into a situation he had been so specifically trained for, he notes obliquely.

Coming up with a plan in the fraction of a second he has available, Telary raises his head and aims for directly down the beast's gullet.

"Fire!"

The blast of heat and flame forms at the tip of his wand before shooting out and directly down the throat of Cerberus's middle head. As the flames disappear, the monster rears back in pure pain, smoke leaking from its throat in black spurts.

But a hellhound is plenty used to dealing with fire, and by the time its front paws have touched the ground, the beast is ready to strike once again.

But so is Sora, who takes a flying leap at the monster's middle head and brings the Keyblade down upon it hard.

Adding that to the internal damage already sustained proves too much for Cerberus, who sways weakly for a moment before collapsing to the ground, completely knocked out.

Sora offers a hand to his companion, though he can't stop snickering at the mage's state of undress.

"Nice," he comments playfully, gesturing to the silver stars set against the blue fabric of his underwear. Telary's face goes beet red as he tries to cover himself.

"Hey, be nice!" Azlyn demands as she approaches the pair, putting a hand on Telary's back. The mage shivers for a moment before relaxing. In the privacy of her own head, Azlyn realizes that she can see what those nymphs must have been whistling about.

"I'm sorry," Sora says through intense laughter. "I'm grateful for your work here, Tel, I really am. But c'mon, it's kind of…"

Sora's apology, and laughter, is cut off abruptly as Azlyn reaches across to him and gives a tug. Weakened from the fight, Sora's jumpsuit falls to the ground, exposing his own boxers. Palm trees on white fabric.

"Kind of what?" Azlyn asks smugly, as Telary bursts into laughter beside her.

"Ahem…" Phil's voice rings out from behind the group. Slowly, the trio turns around to see Phil and Hercules standing at the mouth of the tunnel. Having seen everything. Literally.

"Two words," the satyr says as he wrinkles his nose and turns his head away. "_Yuck_!"

**KH-KH-KH**

After everyone gets dressed again, the group gathers in the lobby. Sora, Azlyn, and Telary stand at attention across from Phil, who is perched on the immovable block. Hercules stands next to him, arms crossed.

"…Thus I do dub thee junior heroes!" Phil says at the end of his long, elaborate speech, which he's reading from a scroll in front of his face. "This conveys upon you three the full rights and privilege to compete in…"

"Hold up," Azlyn says, cutting the satyr off. "What are you talking about _junior _heroes? Is this about the underwear thing, because I swear to you, that isn't normal behavior!"

"No, this isn't about your questionable victory celebrations," Phil assures her. "Well, okay, maybe it's _partly _about that, but moreover, it's just the fact that you three don't quite get yet what it means to be a true hero. You ain't got what it takes."

"What does it take?" Sora asks, hoping for an at least semi-easy answer.

"That's something you three will have to find out for yourselves," Hercules answers, smirking at the trio. "I won't be easy, I can guarantee that. But when you do find it, oh man will you guys feel rewarded. Trust me."

"Well, I guess we can start by proving ourselves in the games!" Sora says with a determined look and a smile.

"That'll be a long time coming," Phil sighs, frowning deeply. "Cerberus did some serious damage before you guys took him down, along with your pants."

"Will you let that go once we become full-fledged heroes?" Telary asks hopefully, wanting to put that whole mess behind him as soon as possible.

"Maaaaybe," Phil replies, drawing the word out. "But probably not." Telary just sighs in defeat.

"Well, either way," Azlyn says, her voice steady with the guarantee. "We'll be back. Count on it!"

With that, the trio files out.

"Quite a unique bunch there, eh?" Hercules says to his old teacher with a sly wink, the word _unique_ not sounding like a particularly positive adjective in that sentence.

"I'll say," Phil shoots back with a snort. "But they did good work in the prelims, and despite the strange things they did after, they took care of Cerberus."

Hercules snorts. "Please," the demigod scoffs, "by the time those guys got out there, I pretty much had Cerberus on the ropes."

"Your secret's safe with me kid," Philoctetes chuckles, punching his greatest student on the upper arm. "My lips are sealed."

Out in the courtyard, Sora, Azlyn, and Telary come upon Cloud, sitting on the stairs leading to the exit and looking sulky. After a quick look at his companions, Sora approaches the man.

"Uh, hi," the Keyblade wielder says cautiously. "Are you all right?"

Cloud heaves a great sigh before looking up at the trio. "I'm sorry, Sora," he apologizes, and it sounds like it takes a great effort to do so. "About what I almost did back there in the arena. I should never have accepted Hades' deal. It was stupid."

"Why'd you do it?" Azlyn asks abruptly, prompting a light slap on the arm from Telary.

"He offered me a deal," Cloud explains, turning his face away from the trio. "I'm looking for someone, see, and I thought that I could use Hades' help to find them. I used the power of darkness, and it backfired on me." He turns his face back to the group, lips pursed. "That's a serious lesson."

Sora gives the mercenary a sympathetic smile. "I understand. I'm searching to."

"For your light?"

Sora nods.

"Don't give up on your search, Sora," Cloud says, standing up and clapping the boy on the shoulder. "Never stop until you find your light. But make sure you do it the right way, huh?"

"I promise," Sora says, even as Cloud begins to walk away. After a moment, Sora turns back to him. "Hey, how about we have a rematch sometime? Without dark powers being involved, eh Cloud?"

"No thanks," Cloud replies coolly. The trio watch him go for a few seconds.

"Too bad that cape is blocking my view of his butt," Azlyn sighs. The boys groan, heading up the steps towards the exit. After a moment, the knight follows after them. "Hey, this light he was just talking about, do you think he meant a girlfriend or something? Because that would be a real bummer."

"Ugh," Sora says, rolling his eyes at the girl. "Between this and pulling my clothes off, sometimes I can hardly believe you're older than me, Azlyn."

The knight and the mage stop in their tracks at that, exchanging a glance as Sora pushes the door open.

"Uh, yeah," Azlyn agrees nervously. "I guess so."

**KH-KH-KH**

The sun is barely up the next morning before Hercules begins work repairing the arena. With a grunt, he lifts a large chunk of stone debris and hauls it off to the side.

Unbeknownst to him, he is watched.

"He's strong, he's kind," Hades mutters sourly, idly playing with the ten-inch Hercules action figure in his hand. "And hey, handsome to boot. In fact, Hercules might just be perfect!" The god pauses, examining the doll. Suddenly, he squeezes it tight, until it actually bursts into flames. "Perfectly infuriating! One day I'm gonna get my hands on him, and when I do…"

"Must you carry on so?" a light but menacing voice chimes in from behind Hades. Scowling, he turns to see Maleficent standing behind him, face impassive as usual. "These sort of outbursts can't be good for your health. Might shorten your life expectancy."

"Watch it lady!" the god of the underworld threatens the jade-skinned witch, pointing a warning finger at her. "_I _do the jokes around here!"

"Well, it seems you are capable of little else," Maleficent says with a most infuriating smirk. "Your little scheme backfired ever so. I must say, it's almost impressive!"

"Round one," Hades assures her, looking back at Hercules down on the field. His winged horse has joined him now, white fur turned orange in the light of the rising sun. "There'll be more tournaments, and they'll bring the key brat back onto my home field. I'll deal with him then, and Hercules to boot! Nothing to worry about, I've got things covered."

"Your desire for vengeance is so very strong," Maleficent observes, resting a bony finger on her chin. "The Heartless respond well to it. I see now that I was very wise to choose you as an ally."

"Damn straight!" Hades agrees. "You'll see Mal. Everything's gonna be coming up Hades soon enough!"

"If you say so," the witch concedes, grinning wickedly as she fades out of sight.

"_If you say so_," Hades repeats in a mocking tone, sneering at the spot Maleficent had just occupied. "She's in command today, but she better pray it's a long time before I get her on _my_ turf. One day, I swear I'm gonna welcome that witch to the Underworld personally. And that's a promise!"


	9. Crash Landing

"That was a very nice thing you did back there, Sora," Telary congratulates his friend as the ramp of the Gummi ship closes up. "Forgiving Cloud like that. I mean, the guy almost killed you!"

"You don't have a thing for him too, do you?" Azlyn teases. "Because believe me when I say, I _will _fight you for him!"

Sora laughs at her jest, shaking his head. "Don't worry, Azlyn, he's all yours," he playfully concedes. "And as for forgiving Cloud, Telary, I just couldn't hold a grudge against him. He seemed so lost, and he was only doing what he did for someone he missed."

"So," Telary says as he follows the boy up into the ship's main area, Azlyn having already cleared the ladder, "what you're saying is, you'd forgive someone who did something bad for a good reason?"

At his perch on the table, journal already open and pen primed, Jiminy looks up at the newly arrived trio, his interest piqued by the direction of their conversation.

"Of course, Telary," Sora answers, like it's the most obvious thing in the universe. "I think everybody deserves a second chance if they want it. After all, he didn't actually go through with killing me, did he?"

"No," the mage sighs, sinking into a chair. "I guess he didn't."

"Well," Sora says, already inching towards his room, "I'm going to go clean up, take a shower. Phill offered after the tournament, but I really wasn't crazy about showering without indoor plumbing, so…"

"Go ahead," Telary says with a wave of his hand. Grinning, Sora exits to his room, passing Azlyn, who has emerged from the kitchen with a glass of water.

Azlyn sits down at the table's other chair, sighs, and knocks back a few gulps of water. Telary waits silently until he's sure he can hear the shower running. When he can, he focuses on Azlyn.

"Did you hear that conversation at all?" he nervously asks his counterpart, though he's obviously excited as well.

"Mostly," she grunts, puzzled, "Why?"

"Did you not hear what he said about forgiving people who make mistakes?" Telary scolds her.

"So?"

"_So_, Azlyn," he continues, exasperated, "I think we should tell him the truth. I think he'll understand, no matter what happens."

"Yes!" Jiminy cries out triumphantly, jumping almost two feet into the air. "Finally you two are starting to see sense! Thank heavens, I was beginning to think I'd have to resort to drastic measures!"

"Are you for real, Tel?" the not-actually-a-knight scoffs, standing up from the table and walking away. "I thought we went over this! If Sora knows we lied to him…"

"Stop it, Azlyn!" Telary says firmly, standing up and facing his friend down defiantly. "Now you're just being unreasonable. Sora just forgave the guy who wanted to _kill _him, for goodness sake, and you still think he wouldn't accept us, despite our deception?"

"Who tried to kill Sora?" Jiminy chirps incredulously.

"Telary, please," Azlyn protests angrily. "The situations are totally different."

"Yeah, you're absolutely right," Telary shoots back. "We've never tried to kill the boy!"

"That's not what I mean, idiot! Cloud ended up not being able to kill Sora, and we've been successfully lying to him for _days _now! We're worse than Cloud, because we've been able to live with our 'bad decisions' without rejecting them."

"But we're doing it now, don't you see?" Telary says firmly, moving across the room and taking Azlyn's hands in his. Looking into her eyes, he continues. "We can trust Sora, I think he's proven that. And if we show him that, finally, he can trust us, then everything wrong about this stupid lying situation can be made right again. He's a good guy, Azlyn. You know that, and you know he'll understand what we've done."

Azlyn looks away in the silence that follows, tears welling up in her eyes. After a moment, she looks back up at Telary. "He's my only friend besides you, Tel," she says shakily. "What if after this he's not anymore?"

Telary smiles down at his best friend. "Then I guess I'll just have to be your _only _friend. Because I'm telling you right now Azlyn, you're stuck with me for the rest of your bound-to-be reckless life, missy."

The pair hug, a gentle, tender embrace that lasts a full minute.

"So," Jiminy interrupts. "You're telling Sora everything, are you?"

"Yes," Azlyn confirms as she breaks away from Telary's arms. "We're going to let Sora know the truth."

Jiminy actually falls back onto the tabletop, letting out a sigh of relief that seems to contain more air than his body could possibly hold.

**KH-KH-KH**

Sora certainly takes his time recovering from the adventure at Olympus. Nearly three hours pass between his shower and actually showing up in the Gummi ship cockpit. By the time he does arrive, the space around the Gummi ship has actually changed colors, from light blues and yellows into a swirl of dark red and darker blue.

Telary and Azlyn are, of course, nervous wrecks, even after they'd gone over again and again exactly how they would break their secret to their companion.

Sora certainly doesn't sense anything out of the ordinary when he enters the cockpit. Azlyn looks as calm as ever, still lazily explaining the events at the coliseum to Jiminy, whose tiny pen moves at lightning speed as he tries to get everything recorded for posterity. Telary looks nervous, of course, but Sora really just considers that par for the course by now.

"Hey, guys," the boy greets his friends, crossing to the remaining unoccupied chair and sinking into it. He leans back, lacing his fingers together behind his head. "How long have we been flying around? I got out of the shower and pretty much collapsed, so…"

"A few hours," Telary informs him, his voice squeaking slightly. This is a bit more edge than Sora normally hears from the mage while he's flying, but he decides to put it down to the darker scenery outside the cockpit. Truth be told, it's making Sora nervous as well.

Azlyn sighs heavily and spins her chair around, facing Sora with a serious expression, mouth set in a thin line.

"Sora," she says, licking her lips nervously, "I think it's time the three of us had a talk. Telary, put the ship on autopilot, this is going to need your full attention."

"Uh, just give me a second, okay?" Telary requests, checking his instrument panels thoroughly. "I think we're coming up on another world here, and I don't want to crash into it. Might hinder the mission, let alone any discussions we might be having."

"Just hurry it up," the knight snaps irritably, a scowl replacing the thin line her mouth had become.

"I wanna see this new world!" Sora says eagerly, rising from his seat and bounding over to Telary's chair, hovering over his shoulder and trying to get a glimpse of the readouts. They don't actually make sense to him, but he continues to study them, just in case there's something that he missed.

"We should be able to see it on the… Oh, there it is!" Telary's hand sweeps in front of him in a grand gesture. The world Sora sees in front of him when he looks up doesn't seem to contain many grand features, just a lot of tall trees.

The life readings Telary observes on the monitors are intensely high, though they also don't seem to indicate much of a human presence. Just a lot of animals. Very little darkness either, since even the most dangerous of predators tends to hunt and kill with little actual malice in its heart.

"I can't believe we're going to have to search that much jungle to find Riku and Kairi…" Sora mutters to himself in amazement and worry.

"Oh, please," Azlyn scoffs, appearing at Telary's other shoulder and giving the Gummi's readouts a disdainful look. "There's no way we're going down there. If the king's gone somewhere, it's gonna be a place with a lot of people. Besides, we do actually have something very important to discuss…"

"It can wait!" Sora shoots back angrily, probably the angriest Telary or Azlyn have ever seen him. "Maybe your king isn't down there, but we've got to check everywhere for…"

"So we just end up wasting time we could be using to _save the universe_ to check every nook and cranny of every world for your stupid friends!" Azlyn practically spits, leaning over Telary and getting right in the argumentative Keyblade wielder's face. "Who, for all we know, didn't even make it off your world, or are Heartless chow, or…"

"Take that back! You don't get to talk about my friends like that!"

"Oh yeah? Well why don't you come over here and stop me, huh?"

"Please don't do this, guys!" Telary begs, his voice practically a whine. "We were all just starting to really get along, and now you're…"

"Stay out of this!" Azlyn snaps at him fiercely, fixing him with a particularly intense gaze, almost frightening the mage out of his seat. "And keep moving, because we're not stopping on this backwater…"

"Oh yes we are!" Sora cries out defiantly, crossing to Telary's seat and grasping the control yoke in his hand. The shock of it is enough to send Telary scurrying out of the chair, fleeing to the far edge of the cockpit and covering his face with his arms.

"Let go of that!" Azlyn demands, pouncing on the yolk herself, both hands gripping the controls. With a grunt of exertion, she tries to tug them out of Sora's hands, only succeeding in sending the ship lurching to one side.

With a grunt of his own, Sora yanks the controls his way, and the ship staggers to the opposite side. Settling her face into a look of grim determination, Azlyn tugs back, followed by Sora's retaliatory yank, and on and on while the Gummi ship sways dangerously in the void.

After a minute of fighting, beginning to tire, Sora risks releasing the controls from the grasp of his right hand. Raising it above his head, he summons the Keyblade in a burst of light.

Telary practically screams at the sight of an actual weapon being drawn in this conflict, and he actually dives to the ground and rolls into a protective ball, hands completely covering his face. He'd known that the discussion of his and Azlyn's deception would lead to difficulties, but he'd never imagined that things might turn out like they were now!

"Don't do anything stupid, Sora!" Azlyn roars, though she can't control the shaking in her voice at the thought of the boy actually using his weapon on her.

"If you're not going to land," Sora says, gaze moving to the control panel in front of him, "then I guess we're just gonna have to crash!"

Despite the pleas of his companions calling out all around him, Sora yells at the top of his lungs and brings the Keyblade down on the dashboard. There is a loud sound of metal tearing, and several sparks shoot out from the damaged flight computer.

"You idiot!" Azlyn yells as red warning lights begin to flash all around the cockpit. "Without that computer functional, we're gonna get dragged right back to…"

"Warning," a calm female voice issues from the computer's speakers, which only by sheer chance managed to escape damage from Sora's attack. Her dulcet tones are in stark contrast to the chaos otherwise erupting across the cockpit. "Electrical systems feedback has damaged primary engine igniters. Catastrophic engine failure reported. Engines will fail in 10..."

"You complete moron!" Azlyn yells over the monotonous countdown, plus all of the noise from the shaking ship. "You're actually gonna kill us all!"

"I didn't know!" Sora swears, dismissing the Keyblade and backing away from the damaged navigational computer.

"6…5…4…3…"

"If we somehow manage to live through this, I swear I'm gonna…" Azlyn practically growls. The rest of her threat is cut off when the voice's countdown finally reaches zero. There is a shudder as the ship's engines shut down.

Close enough to the world below to be affected by its gravity, the ship begins to plummet. All of its occupants scream and try to brace themselves for impact…


	10. Wild Kingdom

As Sora lays on his back, looking up at the high roof of the wooden tree house he'd landed in not more than a minute earlier, he remembers something his father used to say about a person's vision being twenty-twenty when they had the advantage of looking back on events in hindsight.

He's never really understood that notion until right this very moment, looking up at the hole his body had just recently made by crashing into the roof of the tree house with great speed. His body still hurts like hell, even as he struggles to grab the potion he's kept in his pocket for quite some time now, just in case.

While it's true that Azlyn had been a stubborn ass back onboard the Gummi ship, that doesn't mean Sora should have reacted like he had. After all, who knew how hard it would be to repair the Gummi ship when it was time to leave?

Finally, Sora manages to drag the potion bottle to his lips and take a sip. A green glow surrounds the boy briefly, and when it fades the pain of the fall drops into the background of his senses. Not gone, but much easier to ignore.

Sitting up, the Keyblade wielder sighs and tries to work out a course of action. Azlyn and Telary are out there in the jungle somewhere, but then again Riku and Kairi might be as well, so…

Behind him, there is a solid _thunk_ of something large hitting the wooden floor of the treehouse, followed by the sound of a low growl.

Slowly, Sora turns his head to see what has landed behind him that sounds so angry. Upon getting his answer, he immediately regrets it.

Crouched in front of him is the lean, strong form of a leopard, spotted yellow fur covering its shoulders and back, with a white fur underbelly. Its piercing eyes, a pale yellow color not unlike those of a Heartless, are narrowed and fixated on him. Razor sharp teeth glint in the faint sunlight coming through the treehouse's windows.

The creature looks dangerous as hell, and ready to pounce.

"Whoa, kitty!" Sora says slowly, rising to his feet at a snail's pace as the leopard's eyes keep careful track of his movements. "Is this your home? If it is, I'm sorry that…"

Sora doesn't get to finish having his zookeeper moment, however, as the four-legged creature pounces, launching itself through the air at the boy, paws outstretched and black, razor-sharp claws fully extended.

Sora cries out in a mix of fear and boldness, swinging the Keyblade in front of him in a wide arc, hoping to knock the pouncing animal away. He succeeds, connecting Keyblade to leopard with a shock that travels all the way up his arm.

The beast manages to get ahold of itself by the time it lands, all four paws touching the ground, legs already preparing another springing stance. Startled by the intensity of his opponent's eyes, Sora takes a step back in sheer shock.

Unfortunately, the boy is so afraid that he isn't mindful of his steps, and his foot connects with a loose board, sticking maybe a half-inch up from the ground. It isn't much, but it's enough to trip the already rattled Keyblade wielder. With a startled cry, Sora falls to the floor, knocking his tailbone into the wood and sending an unpleasant tingling down his legs and up his spine.

Seeing an opportunity, the leopard charges, taking three running strides before launching itself into the air. Sora desperately raises the Keyblade in front of him, hoping to at least keep the animal at bay for another few moments so he can come up with some new strategy…

Luckily for Sora, intervention arrives not a moment too soon, in the form of a large man clad in nothing but a brown cloth about his hips. He leaps through the air at the attacking leopard, knocking into it and sending it sprawling to the floor of the house in the trees.

The creature growls its displeasure at the man, who now crouches in front of Sora. The boy can see now that in his hand, the scantily-clad man clutches a crude stone knife. When the leopard growls at him, the man returns a vicious hiss, stabbing the air with his knife and grunting, establishing himself clearly as the alpha in this situation.

Realizing that two to one odds are not circumstances it can overcome, the leopard lets out a last warning rumbling, then springs out of the treehouse via a window, shattering it and leaving glass everywhere in its wake.

Sheathing his knife, the man who saved his life turns to Sora, brushing a stray brown lock of hair out of his face.

"Um…" is all Sora can say, shocked into silence by the events that just occurred.

"Sabor," the man grunts, his voice deep and resonant. "Sabor danger."

"Uh, I'll say!" Sora agrees, a little bit leery of the way the man is staring at him, transfixed somehow. The boy stands and dismisses the Keyblade.

The flash of light from the weapon's dismissal apparently surprises the man, sending him stumbling back a few steps, landing in a crouch, weight resting on his bent legs and knuckles.

"Sorry!" Sora apologizes, holding out his hands placatingly. "I didn't mean to scare you, I just… When I don't want to use the Keyblade…"

"Keyblade," the man repeats slowly in a low voice, tilting his head, his mouth almost over exaggerating the word, like he's trying to get his mouth to fit around it. "Keyblade…"

"Uh, yeah…. So, what exactly is this place?" Sora asks, looking around at the treehouse. Dust covers most surfaces, and the rest of it looks to be in complete disrepair, uninhabited for many years, decades at least. Surely this strange man doesn't live here? "Where am I?"

"This place, this place, where this place," the man repeats much more quickly, grunting out each word.

Sora begins to realize now that whoever he is and whatever his reasons for being here, the man who just saved him cannot speak English. So far the only words he's managed are the ones Sora has already used.

Still, whether it will be easy or not, Sora has to try to communicate with him. It's his only hope of finding his way around this strange world.

"I've been sep-er-ated from my friends," Sora says slowly, enunciating every syllable of his words as much as he can. "Have you seen them? Have you seen… My… Friends?"

"Friends?" the man repeats, cocking his head to the side. "Seen friends."

"Yes!" Sora exclaims, happy to be understood. At least he thinks he has been understood anyway, it's hard to tell. "One of them is a blonde girl, uh, she's really loud, her name's…"

Suddenly, Sora stops, remembering the fight he and the knight had back on the Gummi ship, the one that resulted in his inglorious crash landing. The fight in which she'd declared his search for his friends unimportant. Well, now he wonders how _she _would like being lost without anyone looking for her… Well, then, why shouldn't he give that loudmouth a taste of her own medicine?

Coming out of his contemplation of revenge, Sora notices that the loincloth-man is staring at him once again, head-tilted to the side, obviously confused by the sudden cessation of Sora's explanation.

"Um, never mind," he says finally, shaking his head at the man. After thinking of what it is he _does _want to say, he looks the man straight in the eye. "I'm looking for my friends _Riku _and _Kairi_. A boy with silver hair, and a red-headed girl. Have you seen them?"

"Red-head," the wild man mutters, ducking his head for a moment. After a second, his face rises once again, brown hair framing it. "Friends Riku! Silver friend Riku friend!"

"Yeah, that's right!" Sora says encouragingly, hoping that this odd conversation is going to actually lead him somewhere useful in the end. "Riku and Kairi!"

"Kairi…" the man repeats, his voice lowering. After that he pauses for a moment.

Sora bites his lip, hoping that he actually managed to get through to the man. He truly hopes he has, for at this very moment, he swears he misses Kairi so much that he can almost see her, grinning playfully at him, before clasping her hands behind her back and walking away, exiting the treehouse…

"Find Kairi friend," the wild man grunts, pulling Sora out of his momentary stupor. Shaking his head to clear it, the Keyblade wielder looks back at him. "Friends here!"

"Really!" Sora exclaims, practically shouting in his excitement. Is it possible Riku and Kairi might actually be somewhere on this world? Could he be that close to reuniting with his best friends?

"Friends here!" the jungle man repeats, thumping his chest with his fist. After that, the next few noises that come out of his mouth sound like complete gibberish.

"Excuse me?" Sora asks, his confusion actually managing to bring him out of the elated feeling in his heart.

The man just repeats the string of strange noises, thumping his left pectoral once more.

"I'll be honest, I have no idea what you're talking about," Sora admits, shrugging. "But if you can take me to Riku and Kairi…"

"Tarzan!" the wild man grunts, touching one hand to his stomach. "Tarzan go!"

"Oh, so your name is Tarzan, right?" Sora asks. Judging by the loud whoop the man lets out, he infers that he guessed correctly. "Well, I'm Sora," he says, touching his stomach just as Tarzan did when introducing himself. "Sora go, Tarzan go, together Tarzan Sora go go!"

Tarzan nods in what Sora hopes is agreement, turning and loping over to the wooden door of the treehouse on hands and knuckles. The strangeness of the movement throws Sora off, but he shuffles along after Tarzan regardless.

Reaching the closed doors, Tarzan throws them open, walking out onto the large wooden deck that surrounds the main house. Sora follows, and once he's out in the open air, he stops dead in his tracks.

Looking out he can see an expansive vista of green treetops, stretching out to absolutely huge mountains that must be a hundred miles away. The sky is so clear blue, as or more beautiful than the skies above Destiny Islands, that all he can do is stare up at it with a slack jaw.

One thing's for sure, Sora thinks as he follows Tarzan across the deck, still gazing all around, both at the fantastic jungle vista on one side of him and the huge, well-constructed treehouse on the other.

He's glad Tarzan is here to lead him to his friends, because there's no way that he'd be able to search this whole world on his own.

**_D_****_ee_****_p _****_J_****_ungl_****_e_**

"Azlyn!" Telary cries out, swiping a trio of huge bamboo shoots out of his face and trying not to trip on those underfoot as he struggles his way through the thicket he's found himself in. "Sora! Are you out there? Please tell me you're out there!"

Heaving a great sigh, the mage moves on, using hands, forearms, elbows, and whatever other body parts he can think of to struggle his way through the long wooden stalks that threaten to trip him up, not to mention occasionally swing back and hit him in the face.

After a few more minutes of struggling, calling out desperately for his companions all the while, Telary finally manages to reach a clearing, a large grassy space surrounded on all sides by bamboo. In the center sits a moss covered rock, looking almost lonesome.

"Join the club," Telary mutters to the rock, giving it a good pat before sitting down on it. Normally he'd spend a bit of time magically decontaminating it to get rid of any jungle germs that may be clinging to it, but at this point he doesn't care.

He knows he should be mad, about Sora smashing up the Gummi ship's computer and causing the crash, or the fight Azlyn started that led to the event, but honestly at the moment his only concern is the fate of his friends. He'd seen Sora thrown from the ship during the crash, and he'd followed the Keyblade wielder out mere seconds later, but he hadn't managed to get a good look at Azlyn before being ejected himself. She may still be with the ship, which landed who knows where, or maybe she'd been flung out of the falling craft herself.

Either she or Sora could be hurt, seriously injured, or even…

Telary shakes his head, getting rid of that thought as quickly as he can. As ridiculous and unrealistic as it is, the mage just cannot afford to think like that. He has to keep the notion that everyone is safe and soon to be reunited firm in his mind, or he may just lose it.

It's likely that he'll lose it soon anyway, the very minute he stops being concerned for his friends and has to think about what the destruction of the Gummi ship computer actually means. Without the hardware intact to keep his program running, and assuming that the folks at Disney Castle would keep the return program running non-stop, the minute the ship's computers reboot it will be recalled.

He wishes, of course, that he and Azlyn had been able to explain their situation to Sora before they were forced too, but it's too late for that kind of thinking now. No, all that's left to do is get reunited and face consequences.

The first part of that, of course, is the actual reuniting, so Telary heaves another sigh and rises up off the rock. There's still a lot of bamboo to cover, and more jungle beyond that, so…

Suddenly, Telary hears a rustling noise from the bamboo behind him. Managing to maintain his composure even after being startled so, the mage quickly draws his staff from the holster at his side, already preparing magic in case whatever is causing the noise is hostile.

"Azlyn…" he calls softly, hoping to get lucky for once on this miserable trip. "Is that you, Sora?"

There's no verbal response, but the bamboo shifts once again, and this time it doesn't stop after a few shakes, the noise getting louder and the shafts getting shakier as whatever is making its way towards Telary comes ever closer…

Suddenly the shoots nearest to Telary part to reveal a huge animal, roughly humanoid in shape, but covered in thick black fur. It walks on two hind-legs and its knuckles, ambling along at a slow but steady pace. Until it sees Telary, that is.

With a loud noise somewhere between a grunt and a scream, the animal turns and retreats, darting into the bamboo thicket to its left. The rustling of bamboo stalks grows quieter until it is clear that the animal has retreated.

Sighing, Telary holsters his staff once again. He's actually pretty proud of how he'd managed to maintain his calm during the situation, in spite of just how many nasty things could be lurking in this jungle, waiting for their chance to pounce…

"Hey…!"

"Aaaaah!" Telary cries out in terror, leaping almost two feet into the air. The second his feet touch the ground once more he's turning, not even bothering to pull out his staff, relying on the strength of his fist alone…

He connects with something hard, hurting his hand not insignificantly. A little yelp of pain follows, but it's nothing compared to what he hears from whoever it was he just managed to strike.

"Damn it!" a familiar voice cries out, a loud, ugly exclamation. Telary immediately recognizes the voice behind it, from tone alone.

He opens his eyes to find Azlyn lying flat on her back in the grass, blood dripping from her injured nose. A lesser man would take a bit of pleasure at the reversal of past roles in this situation, but Telary's just glad to have his friend back. Well, and full of remorse for sending her flat to the ground with a bleeding nose.

"Sorry about that," the mage apologizes sheepishly, dropping to his knees and examining his friend's condition. "You just kind of snuck up on me and, well, I'd just almost had this _really _unpleasant encounter with the local wildlife, which is _huge_, by the way, I mean really, there must be a fully functional gym somewhere in this jungle, because…"

"Telawy!" Azlyn interrupts curtly, her words distorted by the state of her nose. "Cood you jusd please figs ma node?"

"Sure thing!" With a wave of his hand and an utterance of the Cure spell, Telary fixes his friend up good as new. "All better?"

Azlyn sits up, tweaking her nose a bit to make sure it's all better. "Oh, yeah, I'm fine," she says, her voice on the verge of losing volume control. "I mean, I got stranded in the jungle by an idiot who may be the only way we can save our hides, who we _really _need now considering that as soon as we get our stupid ship up and running again we'll get pulled back to the place our punishment is waiting, BUT AT LEAST MY NOSE ISN'T BLEEDING!"

The air above is filled with noises as Azlyn's yelling frightens animals of all kinds, who fly, climb, or scurry away to avoid whatever it was that made that very loud sound. A very good idea on the part of the animals.

"Well," Telary says after a moment, sitting his butt back in the grass, "it's a good thing you were able to get your frustration out there! Now we can channel some of that energy in a positive direction, like finding Sora and…"

"He can rot in this stupid jungle, for all I care!" Azlyn scoffs, turning away from her counterpart with a scowl on her face.

"Oh, you don't mean that!" Telary chides her, crawling around on his hands and knees so he's in front of her again. "Even after what he did, Sora is still your friend. I mean, people fight, that's normal, so…"

Azlyn says nothing, and actually turns away once again.

Telary sighs. Best to just let her stew in this anger for a while, he thinks. Eventually her real feelings for Sora will manage to win out, and then she'll be ready to set out on a path to forgiveness on her own. Either way though, they've got to get moving if they have any chance of reuniting with their Keyblade-wielding friend.

"Well, I guess you have every right to be angry with him," he concedes, which gets his partner to at least look at him again. A very encouraging first step. "But whatever your personal feeling are at this moment, we at least need to find him, okay? That's our mission, if you remember, and it could be the only thing that will save us once we get pulled back to Disney Castle. So…"

"Let's move out," Azlyn says wearily, heaving a deep sigh even as she rises. She's pretty incensed that Telary has managed to reason cooperation out of her, but also realizes that everything he's said has been true.

"Great attitude!" Telary exclaims without even a hint of irony, popping to his feet next to his companion. With a confident, determined look on his face, he examines the bamboo surrounding the clearing.

"So which way do we go?" Azlyn asks, also examining her surroundings. "How do we find Sora in this huge jungle?"

"I'll be honest," Telary admits, his fearless expression faltering a bit, "I have no clue."

"Well then," a deep, masculine voice says behind the pair. Startled, they both turn around to see a tall men dressed in hunting clothes, carrying a rifle. His face is movie star handsome, complete with a dapper mustache, and his eyes are alert, calculating, and suggest a hint of sliminess about them. "If you two need a guide, I'd be happy to oblige. For a small fee, of course."

Azlyn and Telary share a look, not sure at all of what they've gotten themselves into.

**KH-KH-KH**

Over the course of his adventure outside his home, Sora has found himself facing down innumerable dangers, from strange circumstances to actual heart-eating abominations of Darkness. So far he has faced each challenge, whether it be a Heartless at his back or a Buster Sword to his face, with the minimum safe amount of healthy fear, always burying it under confidence and daring.

He's trying to apply that principle to his latest obstacle, but is finding it rather difficult in this situation. After all, a Heartless you can swing a weapon at and eventually destroy. Gravity, on the other hand, is a bit heartier a foe.

Tarzan gives another grunt that Sora suspects is of frustration, before demonstrating the principle for the third time. With a running leap, Tarzan manages to grab a hold of the swinging vine that is perfectly placed between the two steady branches he's traveling by. As his momentum carries him close to the next landing spot, he lets go of the vine, landing on all fours, loudly but steadily. Turning back to Sora, he grunts encouragingly.

After a deep breath and a second to shore up his mental reserves, Sora charges for the vine, letting out a frightened scream as he jumps towards the hanging plant. For a split second that nevertheless feels like an eternity, he hangs midair, nothing beneath him but the jungle floor far, far below.

Next thing he knows, the vine is in his hand and he's swinging, legs pumping to give him the extra momentum he needs to get to the next landing spot. With another cry, this one more triumphant than the last, Sora lets go.

His feet land clumsily on the branches and leaves, and he bends his knees to maintain balance, accidentally overcompensating and getting sent to his knees.

After taking a moment to catch his breath and reassemble his composure, Sora looks up at Tarzan with a cheeky grin. The jungle man squints at him for a second, then returns Sora's grin with one of his own, almost comically wide.

"Well, that wasn't so hard!" Sora boasts as he rises to his feet once again, sparing a glance for the platform of leaves he just swung away from. From the other side, it actually doesn't seem so far away. "In fact, I feel like I could swing anywhere in this world I wanted! Walking will be a thing of a past for Sora…"

Tarzan grunts, interrupting his triumphant, overblown speech. Once he's sure he has Sora's attention, he knuckles his way over to the edge of the leaves and branches. Sora follows, still puffed up a bit from his triumph over the vine.

What he sees makes that confidence evaporate like water in a frying pan. Stretched out, maybe for a mile, is nothing but vines to swing from, with the only safe landing place so far away that the Keyblade wielder can't even see it.

Tarzan backs up a few steps, obviously ready to start his run. Before he can though, Sora nervously sticks out his hand to stop him.

"Um," he begins nervously, "Tarzan. Look, I know that this is easy, for both of us, and I'm sure it's quick, but maybe there's another way to…"

Before he can finish, Sora feels a strong arm wrap around him. Next thing he knows he's pressed right up to Tarzan's side, held firmly in place by the wild man's insanely muscled appendage.

"Tarzan Sora swing both," Tarzan grunts, nodding at the vine in front of him.

"Um, okay," Sora says, his voice shaking fiercely. "Are you sure about this Tarzan, because that's a long way to carry me, and…"

He doesn't get to finish this objection either, because by the time he reaches the vicinity of his point, he and Tarzan are on their way through the air.

Though he'd never admit it to anyone if asked, even under pain of death, Sora closes his eyes and holds on tightly to Tarzan's chest, praying to whoever's listening that this ride will be over sooner rather than later.

Sora isn't sure how long it takes, but eventually he feels a jolt as Tarzan's feet connect to something, hopefully solid ground.

Opening his eyes, Sora can see that the pair have, thankfully, arrived on the ground floor of the jungle, in a large clearing, rounded on all sides by tall shoots of bamboo, stretching almost impossibly high into the sky. The space is absolutely filled to capacity, with tables and shelves set up all over, covered in books, papers, and scientific instruments that Sora is sure he's never heard of before. In several places where there are no tables, crates are stacked high like pyramids. Back in the corner, propped up near a wall of bamboo, sits a large yellow tent.

Tarzan heads immediately for the tent, knuckling his way there faster than Sora has ever seen the wild man move before. Something in his gait definitely suggests a sense of joy. Hoping that whatever is giving Tarzan joy won't terrify him like the vine swinging, Sora follows along after.

The tent isn't quite as large on the inside as the outside belied, basically a small square room with a cot resting in the corner, with a small bedside table covered in a stack of three blue books and a sketchpad. One wall of the tent is set up as a giant projector screen, and what Sora suspects is a projector sits across from it.

Sitting on the cot is a young woman, at least ten years older than Sora, if he had to guess. She has a red book open in her hand, and Sora can see that the pages are absolutely filled to the brim with text. The woman wears a sleeveless shirt, white originally but warped by a long time of use without proper washing facilities, and a long red skirt, with a slit in it that goes to about mid ankle. She has straight brown hair, and big eyes that look up as the pair enter the tent.

"Well hello Tarzan!" she greets the wild man cheerfully, dog-earing the page of her book and setting it aside. "I see you've brought a friend! I hate to tell you this Tarzan, but he certainly is a much snappier dresser!" The girl rises from the cot and holds out her hand to Sora. "Hello, sir, my name is Jane Porter."

"Uh, I'm Sora," the Keyblade wielder replies, shaking the offered hand.

"Oh, good you _do _speak English!" Jane says with an air of relief as she pumps the boy's hand companionably. "I was worried for a moment there that your linguistics were as advanced as Tarzan's."

"No, I speak English good enough," Sora assures her, getting confused when that elicits a giggle from the girl.

"Well, since you're obviously not related to Tarzan, may I be so bold as to ask how you came to meet him?" Jane inquires, cocking her head curiously. "After all, this isn't exactly the sort of place one just finds themselves in." Suddenly, an exciting thought occurs to the young woman. "Are you here to study the gorillas?"

"Uh…" Sora says hesitantly.

"I highly doubt it," a deep voice interrupts from the entrance to the tent. Everyone already inside turns to see him, swaggering in with his rife against his shoulder. "He looks barely old enough to shave, let alone make scientific discoveries."

Sora scowls indignantly at the man's comments. If he wanted to stand around getting insulted, he might as well have stayed with Azlyn.

"What does it say," the girl in question states with an air of amused superiority, strolling in after the deep-voiced man, "that everyone we meet seems to think you're some sort of incompetent child?"

Telary ignores the knight's rude comments, rushing immediately to Sora and enveloping the younger boy in a hug that literally lifts him off of the ground.

"Oh, Sora!" the mage exclaims, shaking the boy all around in the air. "I thought we'd lost you!"

"Yeah," Azlyn adds, sidling up to her counterpart nonchalantly. "Which was really inconvenient for us, so…"

"Oh, enough of this juvenile buggery!" Clayton declares haughtily, sneering at the reunited trio before turning to Jane. "I regret to inform you, Miss Porter, that once again my efforts to search for the gorilla nesting grounds have been futile." Jane frowns at the bad news, while Clayton reaches for a pouch at his side, digging around for a second before producing a small object.

The object in question is small and square in shape, colored red with stripes of orange through it. It jiggles, as if made of a spongy material.

"I did, however, manage to find this," he says, shaking the item contemptuously. "Though I could not tell you what it is, I…"

"That's a Gummi block!" Telary explains, finally paying attention to the pair's chat once he's finished examining Sora for injuries. Curious, he approaches Clayton and actually grab the block out of the bewildered and indignant jungle guide's hand. "It looks like your standard building piece," he explains as he examines it closer, really taking his time and judging it from every angle.

"What exactly is a Gummi block, may I ask?" Jane chimes in, squinting at the object in Telary's hand.

"Well, they're building materials," Telary explains after a second, trying to give an explanation without letting the cat out of the bag about other worlds. "They're pretty rare to find just lying around."

"Any monetary value?" Clayton inquires, his eyes going wide.

"Not really, no," Telary explains, deflating the guide's enthusiasm. After a second, he looks over to his companions. "Might we be able to have a private conference for a minute or so?"

"By all means," Jane says encouragingly.

Azlyn and Sora follow Telary out of the tent, giving each other stink eyes as they do. When Telary turns around to address them, he notices, and sighs exasperatedly.

"Oh, will you two knock it off!" he says in one of his rare moments of authority. "I know tensions are high right now, but we're going to have to put this aside for a second. Okay?"

Azlyn and Sora just mumble in halfhearted agreement.

"Well, I guess that'll have to be good enough," the mage sighs, resigned to the situation at hand vis-à-vis attitude. "Anyway, I think we've come to the right place. At first I thought this block may have come from our ship when we crashed, but after examining it, I don't think it could have come from us."

"Wait a minute," Azlyn says, her jaw dropping in shock. "Does that mean that…?"

"Yeah," Telary confirms with a grin. "I think the king is here, in this jungle. Or at least, he was at some point."

"Ha!" Sora laughs triumphantly, smirking at a shocked looking Azlyn. "I guess somebody owes me an apology, huh? In fact, make that double, because Tarzan says Riku and Kairi are here too!"

"This cannot be happening," Azlyn growls, rubbing her forehead as she suddenly feels a headache coming on. "I mean, the odds on this have got to be… Wow."

"So if the king is here," Telary says slowly, clearly turning mental gears in his head, "and so are Sora's friends, then I guess we've just got to stick it out together for a little while, eh?"

"Okay, sure," Sora says, grinning at the thought of how close he is to reuniting with his friends. He looks at Azlyn and his grin fades a bit. "I guess you can tag along with me."

"Yeah, well," Azlyn sighs, fixing a nasty glance on Sora, "if it'll help us complete our mission, I guess we can all stand to be around each other for a little bit longer."

"Great!" Telary exclaims, clearly the only one actually excited about the continuation of the trio's alliance. "Now, let's go talk to this Tarzan of yours, Sora. If he knows about Riku and Kairi, maybe he can lead us to the king too!"

"Uh, yeah," Sora agrees with an air of hesitation, scratching the back of his head a bit sheepishly. "That might be harder than you'd think. You see, Tarzan isn't exactly… Well he's not that… Uh…"

"Tarzan was raised by gorillas," Jane explains, exiting the tent with Tarzan trailing behind her, fixing her with a clearly adoring gaze. "Sorry to interrupt, but I overheard you talking about something Tarzan told you. Anyway, although I've been doing my best to teach him, I'm afraid his speech hasn't progressed to a very advanced state yet."

"Wait a minute!" Azlyn says, waving her arms about before fixing Sora with a withering look. "You're basing the fact that your friends are somewhere in this jungle on a conversation you had with a guy that doesn't speak English?"

"Well, uh…" Sora tries to defend himself, but realizes after a second that he really can't. His earlier joy sinks immediately to much lower depths.

"Well, what exactly did he say to you, Sora?" Jane asks, hoping to help this obviously desperate boy. "Did he use any words you weren't familiar with?"

"He said that Riku and Kairi were here," Sora recollects, scratching his chin idly while he thinks back on the strange conversation with the wild man. "He said that in English, I'm sure of it. But there was one word he said that I didn't exactly understand, so…"

"Well, maybe I have a solution to your problem," Jane suggests brightly, grinning softly as an idea comes to her. "I have a projector in the tent there with me, we've actually been using it quite a bit to help teach Tarzan. Perhaps if we show Tarzan some of the pictures on the slides, one of them could perhaps correspond to the word he told you."

"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea!" Sora agrees excitedly, nodding.

"It _sounds_ like a waste of time!" Clayton huffs, emerging from the tent smoking on his pipe. "Miss Porter, I must say that if this, hmph, circus of _clowns _thinks they're going to distract us from hunting gorillas, they must be sorely mistaken!"

"Mr. Clayton!" Jane snaps, the angriest the trio have seen her yet. "If I have told you once, I have told you a million times, we are here to _study _the gorillas, not hunt them! And the fact that this is not the first time you've slipped up on that particular wording seems to suggest to _me_…"

"Come now, Jane," Clayton deflects haughtily, "I merely misspoke. I'd hope we've gotten close enough in these past few weeks for you to know that I would never needlessly hurt a living creature."

"Yes, I suppose," Jane admits, glaring at Clayton as he brushes past the trio and heads to a further off part of the camp to have his smoke. "Anyway," she says, turning back to the trio and returning to her cheerful disposition, "Let's have a look at those slides, shall we? Come along Tarzan!" She goes back into the tent the ape-man following close behind her.

"Tarzan sure has a thing for her," Azlyn observes wryly.

"Sure does," Telary admits, cocking his head to one side and smiling idly. "The wild man and the lady scientist. I tell you, someone should write a book."

A call from Jane gets the trio to gather inside the tent, Sora making sure to close the entrance flap as thoroughly as possible to keep the light from coming in and disrupting the projection. The whole group stands behind the projector, ready to see what comes up on the screen.

The first picture is of a large, furry beast resting on its hindquarters, massive arms resting beside its torso.

"GOR-IL-LA!" Tarzan exclaims, bounding up to the picture and actually head-butting the screen.

"He certainly seems to know that word," Telary observes somewhat amusedly.

"Well, it's one of the first ones we taught him," Jane explains, looking at Tarzan with fond bemusement. "Sorry about the shouting though. I'm sure it wouldn't surprise you to learn that Clayton taught _that _particular lesson. Anyway, I just wanted to start with something familiar so Tarzan could pick up the game. Now we'll move on…"

The next few pictures yield little but grunts from Tarzan, and none of them correspond to what Sora had heard in the treehouse.

Just as he's about to give up hope, Jane slips in another photo to the projector, and the image that appears on the screen ignites a jolt in Sora's heart.

The picture is of the façade of a castle, set on a cliff and towering high into the sky. Curious, Sora leans forward to get a better look.

"Something wrong, Sora?" Telary asks the boy, concern in his voice.

"No, I just…" Sora trails off, "I don't know, something about this picture makes me feel, I dunno, weird. It's almost like I've seen it before, but…"

Telary lets the boy trail off into silence, returning his own gaze to the photo being projected. The castle being shown fills him with a bit of an aching feeling as well, thinking back to the castle he himself grew up in. In the corner of his eye, he can see that Azlyn most likely feels the same.

Tarzan doesn't seem to recognize the picture, though, and Jane moves on. She shows a few more images, but none of them seem to hold the answers they're looking for.

After the last picture is shown, Jane powers down the projector, leaving everyone in the tent in a funk.

"Anything, Tarzan?" Jane asks the ape man. He says nothing, and even backs up a few steps, cowed by the gazes of so many people all resting on him. After a second, he even turns his head away, hiding his face beneath a curtain of dreadlocked hair.

"Nothing worked!" Sora laments after a few seconds of silence. "We really _are _going to have to search the whole jungle to find my friends!"

"Not necessarily," Clayton's smooth, smarmy voice says as he enters the tent, still smoking on his pipe.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, my dear boy, it's like this," Clayton explains, still sneering at the Keyblade wielder. "We have been traipsing around in his jungle for quite some time now, searching high and low, leaving no stone unturned, and we have yet to encounter these friends of yours."

Sora hopes that wasn't supposed to make him feel better, because it most assuredly did not.

"There's only one place we haven't yet managed to search out," the hunter finishes, giving his pipe another puff for dramatic effect. "The gorilla nesting grounds. That's the only place left we could reasonably expect to find your friends."

"But wait," Telary says, thinking. "Isn't that where Tarzan grew up? He should be able to lead us to the nesting grounds."

"Well, actually he wouldn't have necessarily grown up there, seeing how gorillas are migratory creatures by nature," Jane corrects, the scientist in her absolutely unable to let that fact go unexplained. "But, he has to go _somewhere _when he leaves our camp every night, so I'd imagine he knows the location."

"So, whaddya say, Tarzan?" Sora asks his new friend, crouching down so he's face to face with the jungle-bred man. After a second of contemplating, Tarzan turns his face to the Keyblade wielder.

"Tarzan Sora go," he replies, slowly and steadily. "Tarzan go see Kerchak."

"Kerchak?" Azlyn asks, bewildered.

"I'd wager he's the head monkey," Clayton says, his face split in a wide grin. "Splendid! I'll go along as well, as an escort. You can never be too careful in the jungle. It's a very dangerous place, don't you know."

The trio, Tarzan, and Clayton head out for the gorilla nests only a few minutes later, leaving a sad but understanding Jane to look after the camp.

They head east, past the bamboo grove Azlyn and Telary had landed in. After a few minutes, Telary signals for Azlyn and Sora to drop back from Tarzan and Clayton.

"I know you're excited about seeing your friends, Sora," Telary begins, talking in low tones so the other two up ahead won't hear. "But even if we do find them with the gorillas, we're going to need to get the Gummi ship up and running. And to do that, we've got to find it first."

"So what are you saying?" Sora asks the mage, hoping that it won't do anything to impede his reunion with Riku and Kairi.

"What I'm saying is, you go with Tarzan and Clayton to the gorilla nesting grounds, see if there's anyone there," the mage explains. "But Azlyn and I are going to split off and search for the ship. If I've got my trajectory calculations correct, it should be somewhere in the same area."

"Okay!" Sora agrees. As he walks, he's practically bouncing from one foot to another, almost skipping he's so excited. This could be it! Finally, after many long days of searching, he could actually be close to finding his best friends! "I can't wait until you guys meet Riku and Kairi!" he says happily. "And then they'll get to come with us to other worlds in our cool ship…"

"If they're even there," Azlyn mutters under her breath. "Which I doubt."

She doesn't mutter quietly enough, though, because Sora hears. The Keyblade wielder spins around to the knight angrily, looking her dead in the eye, madder than she's ever seen him direct at her.

"What is your problem, Azlyn?" he asks, pointing an accusing finger at her like a pistol. "Huh? Every time I bring up Riku and Kairi, you act like it's some big burden you have to deal with, that every time I want to see my friends, who I lost when our _home_ vanished, it's just a huge inconvenience to you! I'm sick of it, espescially since _you_ were the one who said I could use your ship to look for them."

"Well, I lied!" Azlyn replies, the words bursting out of her like shots from a cannon, intended for maximum pain. "I don't care about your dumb 'quest' for your stupid friends who might be…"

"Azlyn…" Telary says warningly, desperately hoping that for once his friend will show some actual freaking tact and not continue this line of argument, which will only lead to an even worse blowup than the one that got their ship actually, well, blown up.

"_Dead_!" Azlyn concludes, packing as much venom as she possibly can into the single, terrible word.

The entire party is silent. Sora is the angriest he can ever recall being towards someone he thought of as a friend, Azlyn is not feeling quite as smug or triumphant as she thought she would, Telary literally wants the jungle to develop sentience and swallow him up into the ground or a tree just so he doesn't have to be in the position he is at this moment, and Tarzan and Clayton, though not knowledgeable of exactly what the strangers are getting so angry about, of course can feel the uncomfortableness of the whole mess coming off in waves. Clayton has at least the social grace, bred into him by a lifetime of high-class living, to turn away, while Tarzan just looks back and forth between Sora and Azlyn, like a spooked animal.

After a full minute of silence, it's Sora who responds. "Y'know, Azlyn," he seethes, his words hissing out through still clenched teeth, "I don't care if I never get out of this jungle, but I swear to you that there is no way, if I find my friends or not, that I am _ever _going _anywhere _with you ever again. You pretend to be all noble and concerned with saving the universe or whatever, but I know that actually, you just care about yourself. And believe me when I say, I do _not _want to be friends with a person like that."

He turns away and stalks over to Tarzan and Clayton. "Good luck finding your ship, and your king," he says as he goes. After a few steps, he stops and turns back, facing Telary. "I'm sorry you're gonna have to put up with her. I wouldn't wish that on anybody, especially someone I actually like. Goodbye."

Joining up with Clayton and Tarzan, Sora motions for the ape man to continue showing them the way to the nesting grounds. The jungle man looks from the boy to his former companions, then back to Sora, who nods. Turning then, Tarzan leads the way to his family's home, still having trouble comprehending what exactly happened back there.

"Good luck, Sora!" Telary calls halfheartedly after the departing trio, grief and sadness filling his heart so heavy he almost physically feels it sink to the bottom of his stomach. He knows he should be at least partly concerned with what possible consequences Sora's departure could have upon him once he returns to Disney Castle, but mostly he's sad to see the boy go. He thought they had become friends, but he supposes that's over now. It's all over now, all thanks to…

"Azlyn," the mage says, turning to his counterpart with a look she hasn't ever seen on his face, so angry and twisted that it seems like a logical impossibility. "I hope you're happy!"

"Look, if it's about what'll happen at the castle…" she starts, but is immediately cut off.

"I don't care about that right now, Azlyn!" Telary explains, exasperated by his friend's failure to see beyond herself for once. "Whatever happens there will happen, that's alright. What I'm talking about is how you just drove off our friend."

"He doesn't care about us!" Azlyn retorts, folding her arms in front of herself and huffing angrily. "All he ever wanted was to ditch us for his precious Riku and Kairi. He made it clear from the beginning that he was just using us."

"Like we were using him?"

The question from Telary hits Azlyn harder than any Heartless has managed to so far on their journey. As she thinks more on it, she realizes that the mage is correct. She's the bad guy here, not Sora. It seems like she _always _ends up the bad guy.

"You're right," she sighs, falling back into a sitting position on a nearby tree branch, fallen from high above some time ago. "I can't believe I said all that to him. I didn't mean any of it! Telary, we have to…"

"I think we should give him some time alone," Telary suggests, placing a comforting hand on his companion's shoulder. "If we go back to him now, it could just start another fight. Besides, we _do _need to find the Gummi ship if we're going to get out of this jungle." For a second, he just looks at the still dejected Azlyn, her head bowed and vision focused on the ground. "Are you gonna be okay?"

After a second more of mopey staring, the knight looks up at Telary. "Yeah, I think so. I just hope things turn out."

"They will," Telary assures her, helping her to her feet. Together they take off into the forest in search of their most likely wrecked ship. "And who knows," the mage chimes in after a few seconds of walking, "maybe Sora _will _find his friends, and he'll be in a better mood than ever when we see him again!"

**KH-KH-KH**

Sora is silent the rest of the walk, seething quietly with so much rage it actually makes Tarzan somewhat wary of him, keeping a bit of distance between himself and the Keyblade wielder.

How dare Azlyn say such things about his friends! There's no way that Riku and Kairi could be dead. He can feel it in his heart, somehow, that they are out there, waiting for him.

He's glad he ditched the other two, or at least Azlyn. He feels bad for leaving Telary like that, to fail on his big mission, but Azlyn shouldn't have said what she'd said, and if Telary wanted to take her side, then he was welcome to it. He was going to find Riku and Kairi in the gorilla nesting grounds, and they would be all the friends he needed, same as it ever was. Maybe they'd be stuck in this jungle forever, but so what? At least they'd be together.

"Are we close yet?" Clayton grumbles to Tarzan. "We've been walking for an hour, and I dare say, I…"

Suddenly, Tarzan stops, holds up a hand to halt the party. After a moment of looking every which way, he let out a series of loud calls and grunts in a peculiar language. For a moment after he's finished, all is silent.

Then, after a few moments, two large gorillas emerge, one huge and black, with silver fur all over its back and a harsh look on his face, the other smaller and more auburn colored, looking concerned, almost scared, eyeing Sora warily.

The large black one, most likely Kerchak, begins the conversation, making noises Sora cannot translate.

Several times, he manages to make out the strange word Tarzan said to him in the treehouse, and every time it comes up, the silverback shakes its head, a disgusted look on his face. After nearly a solid minute of Tarzan's pleas, the large gorilla shakes its head with finality and turns its back, the other following, leaving behind a crestfallen Tarzan.

Sora watches the gorillas stalk off, sees how upset it has made Tarzan. Judging by the ape man's pained expression, he was not successful, which of course sends his spirits tumbling down.

Cautiously, Sora approaches Tarzan, tapping him on the shoulder.

"So, Tarzan," he says slowly, carefully. "Riku and Kairi here? Riku and Kairi with gorillas?"

After a second of fixing the Keyblade wielder with a regretful look, Tarzan drops his head. No Riku and Kairi.

"But that's not fair!" Sora yells, sorrow turning to anger at the ape man's misdirection. "You said they were here! You said those words in that weird gorilla language, I thought that meant that…"

Seeing the effect his rant is having on an obviously already defeated Tarzan, Sora stops, calming himself. It's hard, after having felt so close, but now he just has to accept the fact that…

He's completely alone, without even Azlyn or Telary to comfort him. He'd abandoned new friends for a fleeting lead on his past, and now he is alone.

Well, not in every sense of the word. After all, Tarzan is still with him and even Clayton…

Suddenly, Sora realizes that the hunter is nowhere to be found. That's odd, seeing as he was just here with them a minute ago…

**KH-KH-KH**

"Look here!" Telary exclaims, shocking Azlyn out of her thoughts about Sora. Curious, she joins him over where he's found something, kneeling on the ground.

"What?" she asks, moving closer and standing over him. She's glad to finally have a distraction from her thoughts.

"I found a Gummi piece," Telary informs her, holding a squishy red block in his hands, testing it.

"One of ours?" Azlyn asks. "Or the king's?"

"Ours, definitely," Telary assures her, standing up and looking around the jungle for signs of another block. After checking the floor, he looks up and sees three Gummis tangled in the branches of a tree above. Grinning, he moves towards it. "Judging by the concentration, I'd say we're close."

"What good does it do anyway?" Azlyn laments, trudging after her partner. "So what if we get the Gummi ship repaired, we're just going to get dragged back to the castle. And now we don't even have whatever leverage Sora brought." Telary doesn't say anything, but his shoulders shift and she's sure she recognizes what he's thinking. "Which is, of course, my fault."

"I promise you," Telary assures her, leaping up and hoping to shake the branches enough so the blocks will come down, "I'll only keep letting you feel bad about this until I'm sure the lesson has sunk in."

Tired of watching the mage's failed attempts, Azlyn draws her shield and hurls it at the branches above. It hits, shaking them until the Gummi blocks fall loose. One of them lands directly on his head, bouncing off the skull with a jiggly noise.

"Well then," Azlyn says, brushing past Telary and picking up the other two blocks, "I think you can stop. I know what I did was wrong, and as soon as we make sure the ship is repairable, we're going back after Sora."

"As soon as the _ship _is okay!" a tiny, familiar, and extremely perturbed voice rises up from the jungle foliage. A second later, Jiminy Cricket leaps up onto a fallen log, normally immaculate clothes rumpled and stained with dirt. His top hat and jacket are nowhere to be seen. "What about me?"

"Jiminy!" Telary exclaims, dropping his blocks and picking the tiny chronicler up with both hands. "I was worried that with the crash and everything, you'd…"

"Oh, I'm just fine," Jiminy assures the mage. "Except my clothes got a bit mussed up, I'm afraid. Oh well, I'll be sure to send you two the dry cleaning bill."

Telary laughs nervously at the cricket's joke. "Did you see where the ship crashed Jiminy? We've been looking all over, but there's a lot of jungle, so…"

"I know where it is, Telary," Jiminy assures him. "I managed to stay inside it during the whole affair. It's repairable, I think, but I gotta tell you, there's a doozy of damages."

They begin the trek, led by Jiminy, to the site of the crash, just about a half-mile away. After the first fifteen minutes or so of silent walking, punctured by repeated stops to pick up fallen Gummis, Jiminy breaks the quiet.

"So you two didn't manage to find Sora, huh?" he says while they're taking a quick break in a clearing to rest up and hydrate. "That's all right," the chronicler says reassuringly, too wrapped up in his drink of water to notice the growing uncomfortable expressions on Azlyn and Telary's faces, "I'm sure he's out there somewhere, and once we get the…" Finally, the former conscience realizes that both of his self-appointed charges look distinctly uncomfortable. "What?"

As the walk continues, Azlyn explains the event that led to the pair's split with Sora, sounding upset about it all the while. In an odd way, Telary is glad to hear that. It means she really has thought about why what she did was wrong.

"Well," Jiminy says after pausing a moment to really think on what he's just heard and how he should respond, "you really shot yourself in the foot with that, and no mistake. Attacking Sora's hopes about his friends' safety was low, and when you see him again I expect the most sincere apology ever given from you, young lady."

"Yes, Jiminy, of course," the knight reassures him, head hung low in shame. "I want to make things right too. And not just because Sora will help us out with the queen and them, but because I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me. I just hope Sora can forgive me."

"You'll repair your friendship, I've no doubt of that," Jiminy says reassuringly. Azlyn smiles back gratefully.

"Speaking of repairs," Telary drones in a sullen tone, stopped dead in his tracks with wide eyes. "The Gummi ship is not going to come together easy."

The ground is absolutely littered with Gummi blocks of all sizes and shapes, most in the uniform red and orange of the ship's paint job. The ship itself has been driven by the force of its crash landing several feet into the jungle beyond the clearing, at least three felled trees surrounding its nose. One wing is upright, but the other has bent and drooped towards the jungle floor. All in all, not a pretty sight.

"Oh, my baby!" Telary laments, running to the wrecked vessel and falling to his knees. "You've been absolutely defiled, haven't you? What monsters must have…?"

Azlyn coughs loudly behind the mage, keeping her presence known.

"…Had their own reasons for causing this and are very, _very _sorry," he concludes nervously. After another minute of mourning, he finally stands up and turns back to his companions. Azlyn can see that his eyes are a bit red. "Though things may look discouraging, I'm certain that I can fix it up good as new. Well, good _enough _anyway. It'll take some time though, and I think I'll need all the hands I can get, so…"

"We'd better go find Sora," Azlyn concludes, nodding determinately.

"I'll stay with the ship," Jiminy volunteers. "Look after it just in case. And, I'm cricket enough to admit that this jungle just plain scares me. Everything's so _big_, especially for a little guy like me!"

"Well, keep an eye on it, then," Azlyn agrees.

"And stay safe!" Telary adds.

He and Azlyn set off into the jungle not a minute later, Telary trying his best to remember the general direction in which Tarzan had been leading Sora and Clayton. This being Telary, it's only a few minutes before he and Azlyn are hopelessly lost.

"I may not have to apologize to Sora at all," Azlyn muses as she watches Telary root around hopelessly. "Or tell him the truth about us. In fact, odds are good right now that we won't ever even _see _him again!"

"I told you, I just need a few minutes to get my bearings again, that's all!" Telary says with totally faked confidence. "I know they were headed this way, I just…"

Azlyn sighs, sitting down on a fallen tree for a moment, still agonizing over exactly what to say to Sora.

Her thoughts are interrupted, however, by the snapping of a twig nearby. Her interest perked, and glad to have a distraction, she stands and turns towards the source of the noise, somewhere to the west. Now that she's really concentrating, she can hear several more noises. Something large is moving through the jungle, it seems. Could that something be dangerous?

She starts to head towards the sound, stopping only momentarily to confirm that Telary is busy, currently trying, and failing, to make a compass out of raw jungle material. Once she's sure he's distracted, she moves on towards the noise, making sure to keep quiet, just in case.

After a solid minute of silent stalking, she hears a few more crunches, and then suddenly they stop, only to be replaced by the noise of lighter footfalls a moment later. She speeds up her movement, finally arriving at a clearing in which a large, furry creature, which matches the slide of a gorilla seen back at Jane's tent, is investigating a stray Gummi block, prodding it curiously.

The knight relaxes, aware that the ape is no real threat. Until she glances across the way and sees Clayton, stalking through the brush as stealthily as she had been, only there seems to be some kind of look in his eye, and his gun's barrel is pointing directly at the gorilla.

Suddenly Azlyn remembers Clayton's earlier comment about hunting gorillas, and it all makes sense. Reacting purely on instinct now, she unlimbers her shield and tosses it with a loud battle cry.

Startled by the noise, the gorilla flees. Clayton takes his shot, but it completely misses the creature. He has just enough time to angrily look up and see Azlyn's shield before it hits him full force in the chest, sending him to the ground with a loud, startled cry.

Azlyn quickly moves towards his prone form, placing her boot heavily onto the guide's chest. Though obviously still disoriented, he manages to fix the knight with a glare.

"Some jungle guide _you _are," the knight scoffs, scowling down at him. "Leaving the people you're supposed to be protecting so you can aim a gun at some poor animals. You're disgusting. And to think I paid you thirty munny to lead us to your camp!"

"Azlyn!" Telary cries out, running through the jungle looking panicked. He spots his companion and runs across the clearing towards her, tripping over a twig as he does so.

"Are you okay, Azlyn?" he asks as he rises, massaging his chest where he'd landed on a rock. "I heard a loud noise, and then I couldn't find you, so I thought… Clayton?"

"Clayton!" the excited voice of Tarzan declares. Telary, Azlyn, and Clayton all look up to see the ape man and Sora standing between two trees, obviously having just run here.

There's a brief moment where Sora gives Azlyn a hard look, but it's soon replaced by one of confusion as he approaches her and the pinned Clayton.

"I found him pointing his gun at one of the gorillas," she explains to the newcomers.

Sora's eyebrows lift in surprise at this information, but when he turns to see Tarzan's reaction, the ape man is looking somewhere else entirely. Following his gaze, Sora can see Kerchak and the other, brown-furred gorilla looking on, the silverback clearly disturbed. A smaller, similarly colored gorilla cowers behind him. After a moment, all three turn and walk away.

"If you would remove your foot, young lady," Clayton gasps out from beneath Azlyn's heel, "I assure you I can explain."

Still glaring, Azlyn reluctantly removes her foot from the hunter's chest. He rises, wheezing and looking perturbed.

"Now, tell us why you shot at a gorilla!" Sora demands, his eyes focusing fiercely on the older gentleman.

"There was a snake, you see," Clayton clarifies, moving his arm through the air with a slithering motion. "It was crawling up on that poor beast. I saved its life!"

Nobody appears to buy that for a second.

"Bull!" Azlyn declares hotly. "I saw you skulking through the bushes with your gun already aimed! You were trying to shoot the gorilla, not any snake! The only snake I've seen in this jungle is you!"

"I think," Telary says, everyone turning to focus on him, "we should go tell Jane about this. She's the one who's paying you, after all. We should see what she says."

"B-but…" Clayton yammers in protest.

"No buts," Azlyn declares, gathering her shield and Clayton's gun, sticking both of them to her back. "Let's get moving. And if I see you trying to run, I swear I will cut you down myself. Clear?"

Clayton makes a few muffled grumbling noises, but otherwise moves out, Tarzan knuckling alongside him just in case. This leaves Sora, Azlyn, and Telary all standing around awkwardly.

"So…" Telary begins nervously. "I guess that Kerchak wouldn't let you…"

"No," Sora replies brusquely.

"So you didn't see…?"

"No," Sora repeats, then begins setting off after Tarzan and Clayton, expression hard as he outright brushes past Azlyn.

"Well," Azlyn sighs, looking on as Sora talks off, "I guess this is going to take some time to resolve, then."

"He'll come around," the mage assures his partner. "Trust me, he will."

**KH-KH-KH**

"Of all the rotten things!" Jane rages at Clayton, fully advancing on him with a stern expression and a pointed finger. "I brought you on this trip to protect me from the dangerous animals of the jungle, not go stalking gorillas like deer!"

"As I explained before…" Clayton attempts to defend himself, only to be cut off once again by the enraged Jane.

"You are not to go near the gorillas again!" she declares with finality.

"Because of one little incident…!"

"You heard the lady, buddy," Azlyn chimes in with a threatening glare.

Clayton almost snaps then and there, but immediately realizes that in this dispute he is at a vast disadvantage. Everyone else in the tent looks prepared to beat him senseless if he offers up another excuse. With one last glare and another round of grumbling, he stalks out of the tent.

"What a jerk!" Azlyn declares, still glaring hard at the tent flaps he just exited through.

"Oh, I don't think Mr. Clayton is a bad person, Azlyn," Jane states. "I think he's just a bit impetuous, doesn't know very well how to control his temper.

"A lot of that going around," Sora mutters. Telary grimaces next to him.

"Okay, you two," the mage declares then, grabbing each of his companions by the shoulder. "Outside, both of you. It's time we had a talk about…"

Just then, a gunshot echoes from outside the tent, sounding close by enough that it may have come from the camp itself. Could it possibly be Clayton, acting out in his rage?

Everyone exits the tent, stopping a few feet later to observe the campground. It's empty, and there's no evidence that Clayton damaged anything.

"Maybe he just fired into the air?" Telary suggests nervously. "Y'know, to let off some steam?"

"And then he ran away?" Sora adds to the theory. "Because he didn't want us yelling at him anymore?"

"There's no blood anywhere that I can see," Azlyn states, moving to the middle of the camp to better survey the area. Everything seems to have calmed down now, with only the normal jungle sounds permeating the area.

Until suddenly an all too familiar noise sounds, filling the air with the dreadful sound of portals of Darkness opening.

The trio's weapons are out in an instant, even as they whirl around to face their opponents. Six Heartless stand before them in the guise of purple furred monkeys, tails twitching even as they bounce from one foot to another.

"Heartless!" Sora cries out, dropping into his battle stance with the Keyblade at the ready.

"Not here too!" Telary laments.

"Finally, a challenge!" Azlyn declares boldly, already leaping forward into the fray. She throws her shield, but the monkey Heartless just scatter, and the flying shield only hits the ground and bounces back up into the air.

Telary fires off a fire spell, but the whole group dodges that too. "They certainly are a shifty bunch," he notes.

"I guess we're just going to have to get closer then!" Sora cries, leaping for a Powerwild. He swings the Keyblade down as he lands, cleaving the monster in two. Immediately he swings for the next one, but it manages to dodge away.

Azlyn connects a kick to one of the creatures, sending it hurtling back into a pileup with two others. She moves forward on the heap, collecting her shield along the way.

Telary's opponent almost seems to be mocking him, stopping momentarily while the wizard lines up his aim, only to move out of the way before he can get a shot off. Telary shoots forth a fireball, but is ready for the monkey-like Heartless to dodge to the side. He fires a blizzard spell at the ground area he projects the creature will land, causing it to slip and fall to the ground, where Telary finishes it off with a thunder spell.

Sora and Azlyn manage to defeat their opponents as well, and peace returns to the camp once more.

"I can't believe the Heartless are here!" Sora curses as he dismisses the Keyblade. "Have they been hiding the whole time, watching us?"

"I don't know," Telary says, grimacing. "You'd think they'd have struck earlier though, when we were separated."

"Well, that kind of strategy assumes our idea about someone controlling the Heartless was right," Azlyn chimes in, also frowning.

"Are those dreadful things gone?" Jane asks as she and Tarzan warily exit the tent. Sora notices that in his right hand, Tarzan is gripping the stone knife he used earlier on Sabor. "What were they? I'm afraid I've never come across them in my studies."

"They're bad news," Telary informs the scientist somberly. "I think that's all we can really tell you. Certainly you don't want to go looking for them."

"Did you think they hurt Mr. Clayton?" she asks worriedly.

"Can't really say," Telary replies apologetically.

"When the Heartless attack, they usually don't leave anything of their prey behind," Azlyn continues to explain. "But there's a chance Clayton got away."

"Good," Jane says after a moment, a hand pressed to her chest. "I was so worried. Even after the incident with the gorilla, I _am_ worried for Mr. Clayton's safety. He's always been such a gentleman to me, honestly."

"He might have gotten away into the jungle!" Sora posits, voice full of hope. "If you want, we could go look for him."

"Oh, would you?"

"Sure thing, Jane," Sora assures her. "We'll take Tarzan and search the jungle. We should be able to find Clayton in no time."

"Do be careful, though," Jane warns. "It is getting dark soon after all, and with those Heartless skulking about…"

"We're professionals ma'am," Azlyn chimes in. "We know what we're dealing with here."

"Stay in the tent though, just to be safe," Telary advises before the now quartet takes off, Tarzan in the lead.

"I've been thinking," Azlyn says after a few minutes of walking, the trio trailing just a few steps behind Tarzan. "The Heartless didn't show up until after that stuff with Clayton and the gorilla, right? So what if…"

"You think Clayton is controlling the Heartless somehow?" Telary asks, sounding upset.

"Not really," the knight clarifies. "Not like he's giving them orders or anything. But what if, in some way, he might've, like, _called _them here?"

"How do you mean?" Sora asks, curiosity overpowering his anger for a few seconds.

"Well, think about it," she says, trying to sort her words out. "The Heartless are attracted to darkness and, like, dark emotions. So stuff like jealousy, anger…"

"Sure."

"Well, before Clayton showed up, or Jane for that matter, this place was pretty much just a jungle. Bad things happened, sure, but like there wasn't any actual evil intent to them, on account of they're just animals. They don't really have hearts in the same way people do."

"So what you're saying is," Telary finishes, carefully puzzling through his companion's theory, "that when Clayton acted out of whatever dark emotions were brought about by hunting gorillas, it basically sent the call for the Heartless to find this world?"

"Exactly," Azlyn confirms, nodding proudly.

"Do you really think that could happen?" Sora asks warily. "Somebody could be so full of Darkness that they actually call out to the Heartless?"

"I think it _has _happened, Sora," Azlyn answers, voice tight. "Right here in this world."

Wary of a building argument, Telary rushes forward a little quicker, only to find himself accidentally bumping into Tarzan, who's stopped cold in front of him.

The party stops, and Tarzan holds up something brown in his palm.

"Is that Clayton's pipe?" Sora asks, jockeying for a better view, shoving Azlyn a bit in the process.

"Watch what you're doing!" the knight yells, bumping back. In moments the pair are fighting, pushing each other with elbows and shoulders.

"You have any friends like this?" Telary asks Tarzan as an aside, getting only a brief, confused stare in return. "Okay. Guys, please stop fighting!"

"He started it!" Azlyn complains, keeping Sora away from her with a stiff arm right up against his chest, holding him back.

"You were the one who was a jerk first!" the boy argues back, fighting against the knight with all of his might.

"You know what?" Telary declares, angry and exasperated. "Me and Tarzan are just going to walk away until you two can find a way to work things out. I know we're supposed to be looking for Clayton, but honestly, he shot at a gorilla, so he's not all that high on my list of priorities! You two are though, so figure this feud out and apologize, because I'm sick of it!"

The fight stops as the pair watch Telary stalk away further into a jungle. A few seconds later he reemerges, grabs Tarzan by the shoulder and leads him away as well.

"C'mon, man," he grumbles. "I was trying to make an exit there, and honestly you kind of undermined it."

Sora and Azlyn stand just a few feet apart, each silently fuming at the other. Neither one wants to break first, but…

"I…" Azlyn begins, hoping that what she's about to say will be able to make up for her earlier actions even in some small way.

"Aaaaah!"

The scream is unmistakable by the pair as Telary's, and both of them draw their weapons as they run off in the direction of its origin, secretly glad that they can prolong any awkward apologies for a little while longer.

They reach a clearing in the jungle, empty of trees but full of activity. On one side, Telary sits against a rock, obviously having been planted there violently. On the other, Tarzan has his knife out and ready, squaring off with…

"Sabor!" Sora cries in fear and concern. This distracts Tarzan and gives the leopard a perfect opening to strike at the jungle man. The creature leaps at him, driving him to the ground. Tarzan struggles against the beast, his knife having flown off to land in the bushes a few feet away.

"Get away from him!" Azlyn roars, hurling her shield at the beast. It clips Sabor in the shoulder, drawing out a cry of pain and anger.

Sora strikes next, leaping at the leopard and giving it a mighty whack in the side, sending it flying into the bushes. The Keyblade wielder turns to make sure Tarzan is all right, which proves to be a major mistake.

Sabor leaps for the boy, but luckily Azlyn is able to slip in and transpose her shield between the enraged leopard and Sora. Sabor hits the shield hard, going to the ground where he remains stunned for a second, then gives one last hiss to the party and retreats once more.

"You saved me!" Sora cries out, forgetting himself for a second and actually wrapping Azlyn up in a grateful hug. The shock of it causes her to drop her shield, leaving her standing awkwardly still with Sora's arms around her.

"Well, um…" she huffs out awkwardly, flustered by the odd physical contact. "You're welcome, I guess."

Realizing that the situation is uncomfortable, Sora disengages from Azlyn, taking several large steps backwards away from her, accidentally bumping into Tarzan in the process.

"Did you guys make up?" Telary asks, a sticky sweet happy quality in his voice, accompanied by a wide smile.

"Not really," Azlyn says sheepishly, looking at Sora. "Sora, I wanted to say that I'm sorry for…"

Just then, a series of huge crashes echo through the jungle, seemingly heading right towards the group. Everyone prepares weapons once more, on the lookout for any Heartless or other jungle predators.

When a giant, red-skinned elephant plows through the trees, with the gorilla that Clayton had shot at earlier riding on its back, the trio are of course surprised. Tarzan isn't though, actually rushing up to the beast and beginning to converse with it, his mouth approximating the sounds of the elephant language as best he can.

"What the …?" Azlyn asks, watching the conversation with a dumbfounded look.

"Yeah, it takes some getting used to," Sora says. "And y'know, I don't think I actually _have _gotten used to it."

Tarzan seems to finish his conversation with the elephant and the ape, turning back to the bewildered group. "Jane gorillas danger! Clayton danger gorillas!

"Clayton, Jane, and the gorillas are in danger?" Sora asks to clarify.

Tarzan shakes his head solemnly. "Clayton danger."

"I think," Telary interprets, his eyes rolling back and forth as he attempts to puzzle out Tarzan's phraseology in his head, "he's saying that Clayton _is _the danger to Jane and the gorillas!"

"Then I was right!" Azlyn declares triumphantly, pumping her fist into the air. "Clayton does have something to do with the Heartless! He may even be controlling them. Aw man, go my theories!"

"I'll be sure to call a science journal," Telary replies almost deadpan.

The red elephant drops one knee, lowering its back and urging the trio and Tarzan to climb aboard. Once all four of them are on securely, the elephant turns and charges, headed off to save Tarzan's family.

Back in the clearing, Sabor emerges from the underbrush, hissing violently at the retreating form of her enemies' steed. The leopard had been sure she'd had them there, picking off the weakest while the others were distracted. Her miscalculation had cost her a meal, and now she begins to hunger in earnest.

A noise sounds behind her, and sensing prey, the leopard turns and lets out a warning growl, hoping to shock her future meal into submission before pouncing.

She is startled, however, when the creature, a purple furred thing that closely resembles the wretched apes she has successfully stalked before, instead meanders its way towards her. She lets out a threatening growl, hoping to establish her superiority, but to no avail.

Realizing that whatever this thing is, it will not be threatened into retreat, Sabor turns to run only to find another pair of similar creatures behind her, getting closer.

The leopard desperately whips her head around to hopefully find an escape, but she is surrounded with no way out.

Sensing the confusion of the creature before it, the Powerwild Heartless feels something almost akin to joy, knowing that with the arrival of the Heartless, in this world, the predators have become the prey.

**KH-KH-KH**

On the elephant ride to the rescue, Sora is almost overwhelmed by the coolness of it all, thinking with a certain kind of sadness how awesome it will be to tell Riku and Kairi that he actually rode on the back of an honest-to-goodness elephant! Though apparently there was no sign of them at the nesting grounds, that doesn't mean they aren't somewhere in the jungle.

Thoughts of Riku and Kairi inevitably lead to Azlyn, who it seemed was ready to make an actual sincere apology. He's glad of that, as any infighting will ultimately just make the rest of the trio's journey nigh unbearable.

There's a loud crash as the elephant breaks through the underbrush surrounding the clearing that the gorillas had once made their shelter for a few nights, but now is providing Clayton with a perfect opportunity to trap them.

The apes, about a dozen in all, all females or young children except for Kerchak, who stands at the head of the group with a warning snarl on his face, teeth bared at the threat to his family. Just behind him is Tarzan's mother, and Jane crouches beside her, looking more confused than frightened, her eyes locked on the threat before her.

That threat is Clayton, standing at the head of a small platoon of the Powerwild Heartless, backing the gorillas up against the other side of the clearing, a grove of trees that would be easy to flee into if it weren't for the fact that Powerwilds are standing guard there as well.

"Clayton!" Tarzan roars, leaping from the elephant's back and brandishing his knife, snarling at the hunter. Sora and his partners slide down to join the ape-man, weapons drawn and ready for a fight.

Clayton slowly turns away from his prey at the sound of his name, confident that the Heartless can keep them at bay. His expression is flat, even as he lays slightly reddened eyes on his nemesis. He almost doesn't even look particularly threatening, not counting the shotgun held at the ready in his hands.

Something in the hunter's blank gaze must startle Tarzan, because he actually takes a step back, muttering something in his native animal language.

"What is he…?" Azlyn asks, shifting uncomfortably.

"Not-Clayton!" Tarzan finally yells out in English, stepping back up and once again taking a strong position. "Not-Clayton!"

Clayton, or Not-Clayton, whatever the case may truly be, says nothing, gives nothing away. He merely steps back as a dozen Heartless come forward, eager to fulfill the purpose of their existence. Eager to strike down he who wields the Keyblade.

"Let's go, guys," Sora says confidently, dropping into his fighting stance and staring down the encroaching Powerwilds with a steely gaze.

Realizing that they don't have the advantage of fear with this new group, the Powerwilds abandon all pretense of careful movement and charge forward, fists swinging and legs kicking out.

Sora, Azlyn, and Tarzan all take strong steps forward, swinging their weapons at the three leaping monsters, cutting them down with shield, sword, and knife. Telary brings down a magic lightning bolt on another pair, effectively eliminating the opposition. All four move forward on Clayton, who still seems to be taking the whole affair in stride, dead-eyed glare still in place, even as he lifts his rifle and fires of a single shot.

The group scatters, Telary and Tarzan rolling to one side, and Azlyn and Sora to another. They barely have time to recover before each pair is facing a foursome of Powerwilds, appearing from portals of darkness to threaten them.

Almost reflexively, Telary shoots off a blizzard spell, hitting one creature full on and freezing it in a block of ice. Tarzan rushes in, grabs the block, and slams it into two of the remaining Heartless, before a powerful backwards kick sends the other sprawling.

The other quartet of Heartless rush Azlyn and Sora, two from each side, one leaping high while the other stays low. The pair take care of that threat like a well-oiled machine, Sora striking high to eliminate the jumpers, and Azlyn swinging her shield low to obliterate the pair closer to the ground.

Across the clearing, Clayton scowls, his first expression of the entire fight, raising his gun to aim at the recovering Tarzan.

He doesn't get the chance, as Kerchak rushes him and delivers a powerful blow, sending the hunter flying through the air. He impacts heavily on a tree, and the horrifying crack of breaking bones can be heard.

Silence fills the clearing, broken only by the hurried footsteps of Tarzan, who runs to his mother, locking her in a strong embrace, speaking to her in low tones. After a moment of that, he moves on to Jane, wrapping her in a hug of her own. After a moment of awkward fluster, she returns it.

"Damn," Azlyn says breathily, moving closer to the unmoving form of Clayton. She gives a respectful nod to Kerchak, who looks bewildered by the gesture. "He is _down_."

"I'm glad you're safe, Jane!" Sora says to the scientist as he approaches her.

"Oh, I am too, believe me," Jane agrees, laughing a bit before turning her eyes to Clayton's body. Her expression goes soft almost instantly. "And here I'd thought Mr. Clayton was a decent fellow. I'm almost sad to see him come to such a bad end."

"Well, he _did _mess around with some pretty dark stuff," Telary points out, grimacing a bit. "Though at the end there, I almost think he wasn't really even in control of himself anymore."

"Oh, please!" Azlyn interjects, scoffing. "He was a rude dirt bag who wanted to shoot gorillas to sell for munny. Plus, I just didn't like the way he was always looking down his nose at me."

"I have to say," Sora chimes in, moving to the knight's side, "I agree with Azlyn." The pair share a look and a smile, on the same page once more.

"In fact, I'm kinda mad Kerchak got him before I could get a hit in myself," she continues, clenching her fist, ignoring the suddenly horrified look in Telary, Tarzan, and Jane's eyes. "I'd have punted him to the treetops."

"Um, Azlyn," the mage says unsteadily, pointing a quivering finger behind his friend, "I think you may just get that chance."

Azlyn and Sora whirl to see Clayton's body floating in the air, legs, arms, and head dangling uselessly like a puppet with cut strings. A dark purple aura surrounds it.

"What is happening?" Sora cries out in terror, only to be interrupted by the sickening sound of bones cracking and creaking, slowly straightening Clayton out, arms straightening and head snapping up to look at the group. Everyone takes a step back at the sight.

Then, suddenly, the hunter drops to the ground, standing straight and tall with his rifle, the dark energy surrounding it giving it a rusted appearance, aimed straight up. He fires off three shots, but instead of bullets, concentrated bursts of Darkness fly from the barrel towards the group.

Everyone scatters, Tarzan pulling Jane to the ground along with him.

"What the hell…?" Azlyn shouts, just as the trees behind Clayton burst into splinters, sharp wooden shards flying everywhere.

Suddenly Clayton is lifted off the ground once more, though this time his legs are spread slightly out and he appears to squat, as if he is riding some invisible beast.

The gorillas and Jane rise and flee, heading off into the thicker foliage beyond the clearing. Sora, Azlyn, Telary, and Tarzan move forward and form up, weapons out and ready to face this new threat.

Azlyn, Sora, and Tarzan all charge as one, while Telary hangs back and tries to work on a strategy.

Tarzan is the fastest, leaping straight up at Clayton, only to be knocked to the ground by the same invisible force that shattered the trees moments ago. Taking a chance, Telary rushes forward with his staff aimed out, firing off a pair of blizzard spells at the same spot.

The icy spells hit something, freezing and leaving what looks to be the iced over outline of some kind of massive paw. After a few seconds hanging in midair, the ice moves and shatters against a nearby tree, once again rendering the limb invisible.

"He's riding some kind of invisible creature!" the mage exclaims, already prepping new spells. "I'll see what I can do to give you an outline."

He fires off two more blizzard spells, aiming directly at the spot beneath where Clayton floats. They impact, and give an icy impression of a squat, lizardlike head with bulging eyes. Sora, the closest, leaps up and delivers a solid blow to the monster's forehead, shattering the ice but also sending it staggering backwards.

Azlyn flings her shield and impacts the face again. Unable to maintain concentration, the Heartless's cloaking ability fails, and suddenly it becomes visible.

It looks like a giant chameleon, with four legs all covered with black scales, and a long tail that curves in on itself, leaving a black spiral. A horn juts out from its head, and the Heartless symbol stands out against its lighter grey underbelly.

"Well, at least now I can see what it is that I'm so terrified of," Telary jokes, slowly backing up a few paces.

"Doesn't look so tough," Azlyn boasts, even as the Stealth Sneak prepares to launch an energy attack from its eyes.

Sora is luckily on hand to push her out of the way, sending them both to the ground. Tarzan rushes forward as they fall, leaping above a strike from the Sneak's claw and directly into Clayton, knocking the hunter off the beast and to the ground.

Bereft of its rider, the creature completely loses all composure it seemed to have earlier, rushing the trio of Sora, Azlyn, and Telary while Tarzan confronts Clayton alone.

A vicious blow from the barrel of the hunter's gun knocks the wild man off of him. Sitting up and aiming quickly, Clayton manages to get off a shot of dark energy, but Tarzan darts to the side to avoid it in time. Clayton continues his firing pattern, hoping to force Tarzan to keep moving so he can regain his footing.

One lucky blast, though, manages to nick Tarzan in the shoulder, sending the ape man to the ground, a welt already growing up on the struck area. Grinning, Clayton rises to his feet.

The trio, meanwhile, are having a tough go of it, with the Stealth Sneak using green laser blasts fired from its hands and eyes to keep them off balance, occasionally charging them with the horn on its head.

Azlyn is able to avoid an eye blast and come in close for a few strikes with the edge of her shield, but soon is knocked away by the swinging head of the beast. When it swings its head back, however, the reptilian Heartless finds Sora there waiting, delivering a powerful combination of blows down upon it. Angered, the beast knocks the boy to the ground, rearing up with a lilting roar of challenge.

Before it can strike down, however, a lightning bolt called forth by Telary strikes its horn directly, channeling several dozen volts into the creature. Sora takes advantage of the momentary distraction to scramble away.

"I think that got him Telary!" Azlyn yells encouragingly. Indeed, the Stealth Sneak does seem a bit dazzled, swaying as it tries to regain some composure. The trio begin to close in on it, forming a triangle to keep it cut off from escape.

The Heartless is a bit more canny than they're expecting though, still being somewhat driven by the predator's instincts that Sabor the leopard once possessed. Sensing that its strategy of overwhelming force is failing, the creature roars and releases two eye blasts directly into the sky, as well as a pair from its clawed hands, lighting up the night and momentarily blinding its foes.

As soon as the dazzling lights clear from Sora, Azlyn, and Telary's eyes, they see that the creature is gone, returned once more to invisibility.

Tarzan and Clayton's chase has moved to higher in the trees, the hunter and the ape man playing a deadly game of cat and mouse. Tarzan knows the trees well though, and it isn't long until he gets the drop on Clayton, swinging off a high vine and slamming the hunter to the bark of a large tree limb. His gun falls through the leaves, shattering upon impact with the jungle floor.

"Clayton," the jungle man says almost pleadingly, eyes wide and desperate. "Help Clayton. Tarzan help Clayton. _Please_."

The man lying under him merely sneers, gripping the leg Tarzan is using to keep him down in two strong hands. "Kill… you… ape-man!" he roars, his first words since the darkness took hold of him. "Kill you… then the… damned apes!"

With a wild cry he throws Tarzan off of him, but the wild man is able to somersault to safety, landing on all fours. His eyes focus on Clayton once again, though there is no compassion in them now. Only fury. His family has been threatened, and there will be no mercy this time.

Clayton rises to his feet, fists out to engage in a good old fashioned boxing match, ready to fight on until the end.

Tarzan begins rising to a combat position too, but suddenly he hears a twig snap behind him. Suddenly concerned, he sniffs the air, smelling something dark and full of decay and right behind him.

Clayton charges, yelling outrageously all the while. Tarzan, however, realizes that he is trapped between two threats, and leaps out of the way and to safety.

Just as the ape-man clears the branch, the Stealth Sneak bursts into visibility once again, coming down hard at the spot where Tarzan just stood.

It crashes down on Clayton instead.

The force of the monster's blow proves too much for the branch they're standing on, and it snaps off at its base, suddenly plummeting to the ground.

Below, Telary sees the branch coming down, crying out and pointing. Azlyn and Sora, standing next to him, grab the mage and pull him to the ground, huddling together with their heads down.

The branch and its occupants land not ten feet from the party, sending out a shockwave and kicking up a dust cloud. The trio stays together as the dirt washes over them.

The dust clears after a minute, and the group rises just in time to see the Stealth Sneak dissipate in a burst of light, briefly emitting a large crystalline heart before fading away. As it fades, they swear they can hear the roar of a terrified leopard.

Realizing they have once again come through terrible danger alive, the trio collapse in on themselves in a group hug.


	11. Friends In Our Hearts

"Everyone's safe, thank goodness," Jane reports, surrounded by gorillas that seem relieved to be out of danger, talking amongst themselves. "From what I can tell, anyway."

Tarzan is engaged at the moment in a conversation with his mother and Kerchak, and if Sora's not mistaken, the silverback doesn't look as angry with Tarzan as he did before.

"Even if we didn't find Riku, or Kairi, or your king," he says to his companions, grinning, "at least we were able to help these guys out."

"That seems to be a bit of a theme with us," Azlyn points out tiredly, scowling a bit at the seeming lack of progress in any real goals so far.

"That Gummi proves the king was here, though," Telary says, resting on a fallen log. Unbeknownst to him, the gorilla Clayton had attempted to shoot earlier, Terk, is standing only a few feet behind him, eyeing the mage fascinatedly. "So we know we're at least on the right… AH!"

While Telary had been talking, Terk has moved closer to him, and begins busily searching his ginger hair for any signs of dirt or bugs. Maybe the worst part of the whole process is that she's finding some!

"Communal grooming!" Jane exclaims with scientific fascination, rushing forward to get a better look at the process.

After a few moments of checking things out and realizing that the thing Terk is busily picking over isn't going to strike back, a few more eager young apes move over to start their own examinations.

One of them unwisely moves towards Azlyn.

"Don't even think about it!" the knight warns, slapping away a hairy hand. Cowed, the gorilla slinks back over to Telary.

After finishing conversing with Kerchak and his mother, making sure that everyone in the family is alright, Tarzan knuckles over to Sora, looking pleased.

"Sora see friends," the wild man grunts, eyes bright as he looks upon his friend. Sora's eyes go wide and interested, even as Tarzan repeats the mysterious gorilla word that has vexed the Keyblade wielder for hours now.

"Riku and Kairi?" he exclaims, unable to contain his excitement. "You know where they are. Tarzan find Sora's friends?"

"Tarzan Sora go!" Tarzan confirms, gesturing for the boy to follow him.

"Guys, come on!" Sora yells to his companions, gesturing wildly over to the grooming hoopla centered on Telary, who's trying to work out the least impolite way to turn down the six-legged snack one of the gorillas is offering him.

With Tarzan leading, Sora, Azlyn, Telary, and Jane all begin a short hike through the jungle, the moonlight shining from the gaps in the trees above providing illumination.

"I can't believe it!" Sora says enthusiastically after a few minutes. "After Tarzan couldn't find them in the gorilla place, I thought for sure he'd been wrong about Riku and Kairi. But now…"

"Hang on a second, Sora," Telary says gently, holding up a hand and looking around the jungle. "Does anyone else hear that?"

Indeed, a continuous dull roar can be heard echoing through the night air.

"Yeah," Azlyn agrees, eyes narrowing a bit, just in case.

After a moment, Jane suddenly perks up. "Oh, I think I've got it!" she enthuses, waving an excited hand in the air. "We're heading towards a… a waterfall…"

As they breach the cover of the trees to stand upon a grassy cliff, everyone pauses and gapes in wonder at the natural beauty on display before them. A huge lagoon, surrounded by green grass and various flowers in every color of the rainbow and then some, lays about a hundred feet below them, moonlight glinting off the water's edge. Near the closest shore, the dark outlines of schools of fish can be seen swimming just below the surface.

On the northern shore of the lake stands a stone cliff that towers high above the group's own vantage point, a mighty deluge of water roaring down it, the lunar light reflecting off the gathered foam.

Tarzan points enthusiastically at the waterfall and grunts out the gorilla word, moving then to the cliff and indicating a sturdy vine the group can use to climb down.

The group descends with little issue, though Telary snags his foot on a loose rock about two-thirds of the way down and falls the final, mercifully short distance to the ground. After it's assured that he's alright, they move on.

The sound of the falls increases to an almost deafening volume, halting communication for several minutes. After following the water's edge to the cliff, the group finds the entrance to a cave hidden in the cliff face.

Telary ignites a magical fire at the end of his wand, providing light as the group continues into the cavern. The sound of beating water surrounds them now, muffled by several feet of thick rock, growing even fainter as they descend deeper into the cave.

"I guess Riku and Kairi must have hidden down here," Sora says, mostly to himself, his voice shaking on every word. Azlyn puts a supportive hand on his shoulder.

"Before we find them," she says, looking away for a quick second before once again meeting the Keyblade wielder's eyes, "I just want to say that I'm really sorry about what I've been saying. Not just earlier in the jungle, but ever since we started traveling together. I knew finding your friends is important to you, and I didn't even care. That was wrong, and I hope that you'll forgive me."

Sora is silent for a few moments, staring resolutely at the ground. After a few seconds, though, he returns his gaze to Azlyn's eyes.

"I forgive you, Azlyn," the boy says with a grin, eyes bright. "I get that you're homesick, and scared about completing your first big mission. We're both in the same boat, actually. I got so focused on my problems that I forgot about your feelings too. So, I'm sorry for that."

"Let's just call it all forgiven, okay?"

"Sure thing Azlyn."

Finally, the group reaches their destination, a large cavern of dark rock, so deep in the cliff side that the roar of the waterfall is but a dull grumble in the background. Set against the back wall is the root of a large tree, covered in moss and white flowers. Moonlight streams over the root from holes high above.

Riku and Kairi are nowhere to be found.

"Tarzan," Sora whimpers, stepping up to the ape man with a bewildered expression. "What's going on, I thought that you said…"

Tarzan grunts the unknown word, gesturing with his head to the root of the tree. "Friends there," he says, expression serious. "See friends there." Once more, the unknown word, followed by a bump of his chest.

"Oh!" Jane exclaims, drawing everyone's attention. "I think I understand now. That word Tarzan has been saying, I think that it means 'heart'. He's saying that friends are in our hearts."

"Oh," Sora says simply, tears welling up in his eyes. "That's what he meant, huh?" Azlyn and Telary step forward and each place a comforting hand on the crestfallen boy, Telary on his right shoulder and Azlyn against his back. He sags, leaning back onto both of them.

"Friends same heart," Tarzan continues, focused now on the stump glowing softly in the moonlight. "Clayton lose heart. No heart, no see friends."

"I'm really sorry, Sora," Telary says, moving forward and putting his whole arm around his companion's shoulders. "I wish we'd been able to find your friends here."

"Yeah," Azlyn agrees, stepping to Sora's other side and adding her own arm. "But we'll see them eventually. You can count on it."

Sora is silent for a full minute, several tears escaping down his cheeks. "Thanks you guys," he says finally. "You know something though? I did find friends here, I think. You guys. I know we've been travelling together for a little while now, but I think it took until now to actually see that we're more than just sharing a ride. We're friends now, the three of us. I may have lost my best friends, but I think I got some pretty good ones out of it in the end." He turns to Jane and Tarzan then, still grinning. "And you guys too, of course."

Jane is openly crying now, and Tarzan rests his head on her stomach to comfort her. "This really has been the trip of a lifetime, you know," she says through the tears. "I just wish my father were here to see it."

Sora gives the scientist a sympathetic grin, then turns back to the tree root. It really is beautiful, with the moonlight giving it a silvery glow. But there's something else about it, too, something the moonlight's glint reveals.

The boy steps forward, brushing Azlyn and Telary off of him. Suddenly, the Keyblade appears in his hand, though whether Sora consciously summoned it or not he can't say. When the moonlight hits the metal of the blade it begins to glow as well, especially on the tip, where the light seems to actually be gathering together…

Suddenly a beam shoots straight from the Keyblade to the root, mirroring exactly what happened with the Doorknob in Wonderland. The wood's glow seems its own now, no longer relying on the moon's reflection. The beam meets the root, and after a moment it disappears, a strong, unmistakable click echoing in the cavern.

The root loses its glow almost immediately, once again becoming a regular stump of wood. In front of it rests an odd, multi-colored object.

"It's a Gummi block," Telary says, stepping forward to retrieve it, holding it up to the light of the moon.

"Not the king's though," Azlyn sighs, frowning deeply. "I guess neither of us were right about what we'd find here."

"Does that mean you'll be moving on?" Jane asks.

"Afraid so," Telary replies as he puts the Gummi block away in a pouch on his pants. "It seems to me that we've still got a lot of ground to cover if we're going to find who we're looking for."

"Well, I wish you the best of luck," Jane says with a bright smile. "And if you ever get the chance to come back and visit, well…" She gives Tarzan a look of pure affection. "We'll be here. I plan on sticking around for as long as I can."

"Good to know." The energy of the cavern seems to shift then, as Telary looks at Azlyn with a gaze that speaks volumes.

"Hey, Jane," the knight says to the scientist, casting a nervous glance at Sora before turning to her, "why don't you go back to camp, huh? With Tarzan. We'll stop by before we leave but, uh, right now, me and Telary need to talk to Sora. Alone."

"Uh, certainly," Jane agrees, detecting the change in the air a bit nervously. "We'll see you then." She moves to exit, then realizes that Tarzan isn't following her. "Come along Tarzan. I sense we're not needed here at the moment."

The ape man gives Azlyn and Telary a quizzical look before turning and following Jane out of the cave.

They leave and the air goes silent, excepting the dull sound of the waterfall. Sora looks at his friends, confused as to what is so important they needed to shoo Tarzan and Jane.

"What's going on, guys?" the boy asks after a few silent, tense seconds. "Is there something wrong?"

"Well, Sora," Telary answers nervously, losing his voice for a moment before Azlyn grips his wrist and helps him recover it. "Now that we're officially friends, I mean, we had the big moment and everything, and I guess friends uh, well…"

"What he's trying to say," Azlyn steps in, looking directly at Sora's absolutely bewildered face, "is that friends don't keep secrets from each other. Not good friends, at least. And, uh, boy do we have a whopper to tell you…"

**KH-KH-KH**

There's something so awkward about the scene playing out in the green fire projection that even the nefarious feel discomfort watching the pair from Disney Castle stammer through the exposure of their deception.

"So this entire time, it's been nothing but hapless _children_ foiling our schemes!" the woman with eight limbs rages, one of her more exotic appendages slamming to the ground angrily. "They're not even real knights!"

"It is a rather poor reflection upon the Heartless we've been sending out so far, I must admit," the man in the turban agrees much more calmly. "It seems that luck, not skill, has been the order of the day for these would-be heroes."

"Luck certainly wasn't on the side of that bilge rat hunter!" the man with a hook instead of a hand sneers. "He called up those Heartless, and it swoggled him in the end, it did!"

"A powerful and timely reminder, I should think," the group's jade-skinned leader adds, seated on her throne. "Unless one keeps one's heart guarded against the darkness of the Heartless, they are little more than fodder for them. I'd be sure to keep that in mind, were I you."

"Regardless of his companion's lack of experience, the boy is surely becoming a problem," the man in the turban says, changing the subject. "That's two Keyholes he has been able to seal. A drop in the ocean compared to what we have accomplished, but nonetheless, if even one world remains immune to the darkness…"

"I wouldn't worry yourself overmuch, Jafar," Maleficent says dismissively. "By the time he manages to find the rest, our other plan will be long completed. I understand the Heartless just successfully captured another princess. That brings our total to four of seven. It shan't be long before we locate the others as well, I should think."

"Well I still think we oughta step up our game against this key-brat," the wet witch growls. "Trust me when I say that unexpected loopholes always cause trouble."

"Yes, Ursula, perhaps it _is _time to make a more concerted move against the boy and his companions," Maleficent agrees. Eyes narrowing in intense thought, she rises and takes a few steps around the stone table showing the would-be heroes. "With their ship so damaged from their crash into the jungle, I'd imagine they'll need to make use of a repair facility. I can think of only one such place they could go for that kind of work."

"The castle?" the man in the red coat says incredulously. "If that's the case, then we may be in serious trouble. I thought you said the Heartless couldn't operate there because…"

"The Heartless cannot set foot on the king's world, true enough," the jade-skinned witch agrees, something smug in her voice, "But I have… other agents in place. All they require is the word from me, and they will make their move."

"And they are powerful enough to complete the task?" Jafar asks, wiping some dust from his staff's head.

"Oh, yes," Maleficent replies, a wicked grin coming over her face. "Quite powerful indeed…"


	12. Damage Control

Thankfully for all involved, Telary manages to make it through without throwing up, peeing himself, or having a heart attack, which can mostly be attributed to Azlyn taking over for him during the roughest parts.

Eventually, after much stammering and backtracking of words and talking over each other, Sora knows the truth about Azlyn and Telary.

"Oh," the Keyblade wielder says once the pair finish, looking at him with nervous expectation. "I, uh… Oh."

Telary and Azlyn share a look, then look back at Sora.

"Was that a, um, good 'oh'?" the mage asks, wringing his hands nervously. "Or a bad 'oh'?"

Silence.

"Look, Sora," Azlyn says after nearly two minutes, expression resolute, "I know we just threw a lot of stuff at you there, but we'd really appreciate if…"

The boy holds up a hand that stops the not-actually-a-knight in her tracks, mouth open like he's about to finally say something. After a few seconds he closes it again. Then it opens. Closes. Opens.

"What were you so worried about?" he finally says, his tone not betraying any emotion one way or another. "What made you think I'd be mad if I found out you were, uh y'know… Not telling the truth?"

Now it seems to be Azlyn and Telary's turn for silence.

"I guess, uh…" Telary begins, stopping short when he realizes he has nothing.

"We wanted you to think we had things in hand," Azlyn chimes in. "That we, y'know, knew what we were doing."

Sora merely raises an eyebrow at that. "Being honest, I kind of figured that out when you fell down that hole in Wonderland. Or whenever I asked Telary a question and he looked like he was gonna hurl."

"Maybe," Telary says after another minute of contemplation, "we were ashamed of what we'd done. I mean, who'd want to travel around the universe with a pair of kleptomaniacal rocketjackers?"

"Hey, you guys made a mistake because you wanted to escape your normal, boring lives," Sora actually chuckles, the first bit of levity in minutes. "Believe me when I say that I can relate."

"So, what we're all kind of agreeing on here is that, uh, we were lying to you because…" Azlyn puzzles out, finger stroking her chin absently. "Just _because_?"

"Yeah," Sora agrees, actually laughing now. "I guess you were!"

The boy's laugh proves contagious, and soon the cavern is echoing with the hearty giggles of the trio.

The laughing feels good, and it continues for five minutes. At the end of it, Sora, Azlyn, and Telary are all standing in a triangle in the middle of the cavern.

"I guess I am a little upset that you lied to me for so long," Sora admits, his grin shrinking minutely. "But I'm glad you decided to finally tell me. Even though you pretty much had to at this point."

"Yeah," Azlyn sighs, the mirth melting away. "We're gonna be facing some intense music when we get pulled back to the castle, key found or not."

Telary gulps in agreement.

"Hey, don't be so worried about it!" Sora assures the pair. "I'll be totally on your side, no matter what. I won't let them throw you into any, uh…"

"Dungeon pocket dimensions," Telary finishes. "Nobody really knows what they're like, except that you _really _don't want to go there."

"You won't" Sora says confidently. "Not me without me, anyway. One for all and all for one, right?" The Keyblade wielder puts his hand down in the middle of the trio, a bright grin on his face.

"One for all…" Azlyn agrees, placing her hand over Sora's.

"And all for one!" Telary chimes in as he slaps his hand down on those of his friends.

**KH-KH-KH**

When Jiminy hears the good news, he leaps for joy so impossibly high into the air that the trio actually all take a simultaneous step backwards.

"Finally, a breakthrough!" the cricket shouts, still leaping all about with a giant smile on his face. "I was beginning to think I'd never get through to you two!"

"Well, thanks for all your confidence," Azlyn mutters, drawing a chuckle out of Sora.

"Sorry," Jiminy says when he finally stops his joyous jumping. "I meant to say that, of course I had faith that you'd do the right thing."

"Sure," the knight says with a snort. "Hey, where's Telary?"

"Over here!" the mage calls out, something like a sob coming out with the shout. Sora and Azlyn share a look, then go to see what the commotion is about.

Telary has sunk to his knees in front of the wreckage of the Gummi ship, tears flowing freely out of his eyes and down his cheeks.

"Crap," Sora exclaims when he sees the absolute mess caused by the ship's crash. "I'm _really _sorry for what I did now. How long is it gonna take to fix this?"

"Days," Telary gets out between sucking in breaths he hopes will be calming, but as of yet aren't. "At the least."

"That long?" Azlyn asks, standing beside her burdened counterpart.

"Well, it's not like I can do magic!" he cries out, shocking everyone else in the clearing.

"Uh, I hate to be the one to point this out, but…" Sora starts, awkwardly scratching at his neck.

"You know what I mean!" the mage snaps, standing up and brushing dirt off of his knees. "Some of these blocks we might not even be able to lift. We'd need ten times our strength to put this all back correctly, and even then I wouldn't guarantee a smooth flight."

Suddenly, Sora's face brightens. "We need some serious manpower, huh? Well, what about ape power?"

**KH-KH-KH**

It isn't every day that you see gorillas doing rocket science, but that is exactly what Telary finds himself watching, amazed that the creatures can handle this kind of work. It's mostly lifting heavier blocks into place so Telary can weld them, but still.

It's not a quick process per se, as pretty much every order has to go from Telary to Jane to Tarzan to the hirsute workers, but it's much faster than if it had just been the trio and Jiminy attending to the craft.

"Your vessel is truly extraordinary, Telary," Jane compliments the mage. "I realize that for whatever reason you can't explain its origins to me, but it is remarkable. Much more impressive than the thrown together tanker that took me and Mr. Clayton out here into the jungle."

"It's state of the art," the mage says proudly. "The person we're looking for built it, I think. Two of them actually. We found parts for the other one in the jungle, or rather Clayton did. We thought that meant he'd be here, but…"

"Well, I can assure you that I haven't seen any humans but Tarzan and you three since arriving."

Telary wonders if he should reveal the fact that the king isn't exactly human to Jane, but decides to keep it to himself. No need to confuse her.

Over by the ship, Sora and Azlyn are helping one of the younger gorillas push a block from the ship's aft section back into place. It takes a lot of grunting and heaving, but they eventually manage.

"These gorillas are amazing workers," Azlyn observes as she and the Keyblade wielder take a rest, helping themselves to water from the ship. It's warm, since the refrigeration in the kitchen requires power, but good enough for hydration. "I think that somebody could really make a lot of money selling labor like this. They'd be paid of course, in like bananas and stuff."

"You're way greedier than I thought, Azlyn," Sora chuckles as he downs his own refreshment. "Have you been holding back on me?"

"Buddy, you have no idea," she gloats, grinning smugly. Until, that is, a curious gorilla gives her a pat on the behind. She rounds on the animal and give it a downright savage glare until it backs off, slinking away with its head hung. "That's one of the big problems with gorilla construction, I guess. You'd end up spending millions on sexual harassment lawsuits."

A few hours later, the heaviest lifting is done, and the trio and Jiminy return to the cockpit so Telary can do the delicate task of repairing the wiring of the ship's computer.

"Jane really wanted inside here, Tel," Azlyn reminds the mage as she hands him a tiny soldering iron. Sora had decided to remove himself from the cockpit, upset by the damage his own blade had done that now needed repairs. He's currently resting up in the common room below, relaying the story of his adventures in the jungle to Jiminy. "I felt bad turning her away."

"Well, you can't always get what you want," Telary replies cynically, feeling a bit odd at the reversal of the usual tone between the pair.

"We did."

Telary pokes his head out from under the console and grins at his counterpart.

"We sure did. Sora took it amazingly. I didn't doubt he would though. He's a good guy."

"Yeah. Before the incident in here I wasn't even sure he _could_ get angry. Definitely learned that in a hurry."

"Now we just have to hope our luck holds," the mage sighs, pulling the frayed ends of a wire together. "Even with Sora on our side, it's going to be an uphill battle once we reach the castle."

**KH-KH-KH**

"Just to be clear," the twitching, sputtering, occasionally sparking rodent now in front of Maleficent, bowing with an obsequiousness that only munny can truly buy, says, "we do the job, we get paid, we get the castle."

"Yes," the jade-skinned witch sighs, almost bored to tears by this tediousness. She wishes fervently she could just send Heartless, silent but deadly (emphasis on silent), but she knows that the world the Keybearer is now off to will easily repel any such attempts to use Darkness. Given enough time, she could perhaps devise a way to breach the castle's unique security measures, but time is of the essence and she has to rely on what she can get.

"And as soon as the castle is mine, the glorious machine revolution can begin!" the hireling squeaks delightedly.

"Not to mention saving valuable plant life," chimes in an absolutely grotesque green combination of plant and mallard.

"And putting up a billboard that'll be seen from space!" adds the shifting liquid form of a canine standing erect.

"Probably a lot of places to store my toys, too," a garishly dressed duck in jester-themed garb mutters under his breath, following with an almost cackling giggle.

"As I said, you may use the castle as you wish," Maleficent butts in impatiently. "But only after you've handed over the knight and wizard to me, and the body of the boy with the Keyblade. If you fail me, the consequences will be dire. Is this understood?"

"Certainly is, Your Evilness," the rodent hisses. Grinning at each other, he and his companions exit the castle chapel together.

As she watches them go, Maleficent heaves a sigh. In point of fact, she more heavily doubts the success of the so-called Fearsome Four than she has let on to anyone. This is a move to appease her allies, nothing more. Truthfully, she'd much rather they fail. She knows the benefits of eliminating the boy with the key, but at the same time, perhaps there is a way to factor him into her plans, even his continued success.

"After all," she says to herself, thinking of the prisoner languishing in her dungeons below, "young boys do so love to compete…


	13. Hassle In The Castle

"Recall command code activated," chimes the pleasant female voice of the Gummi ship's onboard operating system. "Auto-pilot engaged. Prepare for your return to Disney Castle. Perhaps take this time to think about what you've done…"

Azlyn jabs the mute button so hard that Sora fears she's going to wreck the whole dashboard and send them plummeting into the jungle again. But his fears are unfounded, and the ship continues on into space.

It's also a good thing, Sora notes, that Telary doesn't actually have to do any flying, because Sora worries that even in the vast emptiness of space the mage might find something to crash into, with as much shaking and hand wringing as he's doing at the moment.

The mood of the cockpit is far too tense for anyone's good, and thus Sora sets about finding anything he can possibly use to restore the morale of his friends.

After a minute of thinking, an idea suddenly bursts into his brain. He stands and moves for the exit ladder, Azlyn and Telary both swiveling their heads towards the movement faster than an owl catching sight of prey.

Sora ignores both of them. "Hey, Jiminy!" he calls down the hatch, cupping his hands around his mouth to increase the volume. "Would you mind coming up here? And bring your journal!"

In seconds Jiminy is scrambling up the ladder, journal in tow. He reaches the top and fixes Sora with a wide grin, a look that's been nigh omnipresent on his face since Telary and Azlyn confessed to Sora. It's a proud look.

"What is it you wanted Sora?" the cricket inquires, hopping up on the console, right near the currently self-propelled steering yoke.

"Well, y'know how we've each been sitting down with you after we visit worlds, so you can put things in your journal?" Sora asks, catching and holding the attention of Azlyn and Telary.

"Sure."

"Well," he continues, grinning slowly and eyeing Telary, who looks a bit confused by all this, "we've all been telling you stories individually, but we've never really had a chance to all talk about what we've been doing, together. And since we have some time to kill, I thought, maybe, we could all kinda reminisce about our adventures so far. Besides," he adds with a wink to Azlyn, whose expression has slowly brightened, "I've been dying to hear all about Azlyn and Telary's daring castle escape."

"Well, I don't see why not," Jiminy answers with a grin of his own, drawing out a pen and opening his journal up. "After all, I want the account of this mission to be as well-rounded as possible."

And so, for the next three or so hours, the trio reminisces, starting with Azlyn and Telary's flight from Disney Castle, and eventually encompassing their adventures in Wonderland, the coliseum, and deep in the heart of the jungle. They laugh, and smile, and at one point a friendly argument breaks out between Azlyn and Sora over who defeated the most Heartless in the Olympus arena. Overall, they manage to have an enjoyable time, something they all desperately needed.

Eventually, things take a turn for the melancholy.

"So, uh, Sora," Telary begins sheepishly, gazing momentarily at the cheery blue of Gummi space rushing by. "I know this might not be the, uh, best time to ask you about this, but since we might not get the chance afterwards… What was it like, growing up on your island?"

"Yeah," Azlyn chimes in, leaning forward and resting her hands on her knees. "Every time you mention it you sure sound happy."

"Well," Sora says, a bit shakily, after taking some time to get his emotions in check and do some reflection, "what can I say, it was great."

He goes on to talk about the weather, from the sunniest, breeziest days of merriment to the tropical storm that came to the islands when he was about three, one of his first memories.

Then he talks about growing up, being friends with Riku since as long as he can remember, all of the trouble they got into even in their early years….

And then, he talks about the night they found Kairi.

"Riku and me had been at the beach pretty much all day, on the little island," the boy explains wistfully, lacing his hands together behind his head and looking out into space. "My mom and his aunt had gone off to make sure we had everything we came with before we went back home, and we were just sitting on the beach, looking at the stars, whatever. We were both tired, at least I was, but we didn't want to go home either. So, we just sat. And then it started. Meteors just started falling from the sky. They were like tiny lights, racing each other to reach the ocean. They were all different colors too, like red, and yellow, and green…"

"Maybe," Telary interrupts, the scientist in him taking over for a second, "that was the day your world's walls came down. Like, y'know, whatever was keeping your world separate from all the others."

"Maybe," Sora agrees, a bit distantly, seemingly not actually paying attention to the wizard's comment. "All I remember was thinking how I'd never seen anything like it. I'd never seen something so beautiful…"

**KH-KH-KH**

_"Can you believe it?" Sora cried happily, nudging Riku, who seemed just as awed by the colors falling from the sky and landing far out to sea. "This is the coolest! Wait 'til I tell Wakka!"_

_Suddenly, one of the lights seemed to veer off from the main group. It was the brightest of all, burning a deep red so vibrant that it seemed to light the whole sky… and it was coming right towards them!_

_"Sora," Riku said cautiously, standing up quickly and taking a nervous pair of steps back. "Sora look out. I think it's gonna hit us!"_

_Sora heard Riku's warnings, distantly, almost as if the other boy had been shouting them from far away. There was something about this falling star, every instinct in his young body screaming out to let it come, to reach out to the meteor and…_

_Suddenly the red light fell into the ocean with a great splash, sending water gushing upwards and throwing undulating waves towards the shoreline. Sora's eyes widened, and he ran to get a closer look, maybe even collect the object floating in the water._

_But, surprisingly, what he discovered drifting in the waves was not the chunk of rock he had imagined he might find, but rather a person! A girl, he'd thought, but at that distance he couldn't tell for certain._

_"Riku!" he cried, turning back to his friend and seeing his mother as well, Riku's aunt trailing behind her a ways. "Mom, Mom, there's a girl in the water!"_

_Sora's mom, a confused look on her face, ran to her son's side, already preparing a lecture on telling tall tales. But as she reached the boy, she glanced into the water to see that he was being completely truthful._

_"Stay here, sweetie," the young mother advised, already removing the button down blouse she'd been wearing over her one piece swimwear and kicking off her clamdiggers. "I'll be right back."_

_Having been a lifeguard in her teens, it was a simple matter for her to swim out and scoop up the girl. Sora was riveted by the whole thing, so much so he'd hardly noticed Riku had sidled up beside him._

_"A girl who fell from the sky?" the five-year old boy breathed with incredulity. "This is the most amazing thing I've ever seen!"_

_Finally, Sora's mother and the girl reached the shore. She was young, most likely of an age with Sora, and wore a plain white dress with green flowers embroidered along the hem. Her red hair, chin-length, framed her face. Sora noted all this while his mother began performing rescue breathing._

_It was the first time he ever saw Kairi._

**KH-KH-KH**

"So, she just fell out of the sky?" Azlyn says with astonishment, her mouth dropping open. "Like a big ol' human meteor!"

"As best as I remember it, yeah," Sora answers wistfully, sitting forward with a dopey grin on his face. "And trust me, I remember that night like it was just yesterday."

Telary says nothing, a bit lost in thought over in his chair. If she'd fallen during the breakdown of Destiny Islands' barrier, certainly that meant this Kairi girl that Sora was so desperately looking for had been born on another world. But how had she crossed through space without a Gummi ship? Where was she from originally? How did a four year old girl even go about leaving a planet? Sora's story is a compelling one, certainly, but it leaves far too many questions about the girl unanswered for Telary's liking.

And for some reason, he can't help but feel like he _needs _to find out more about the girl.

"Hey, Tel!" Azlyn yells from her seat, waving her arms to hopefully catch the mage's attention. Noticing her, his head snaps up. "Gummi ship to Telary, do you come in, over?"

"Huh? Yeah, I'm fine Azlyn," he blearily replies after a few seconds. "Except, y'know, I'm pretty hungry. Maybe if I got something to eat…"

"Yeah, now that you mention it, I'm starving!" Sora adds cheerfully, happy that things are bouncing from one happy topic to the next, even if his own emotional high had taken a bit of a bruising from reminiscing about the home he'd lost.

All three travelers head down the ladder to the kitchen, but Jiminy stays in the cockpit to edit his journal. Watching the trio leave, he can't help but grin.

"Now I don't know if you can hear me, Miss Blue," he mutters to a woman who isn't physically there to hear his words, but whom he knows is listening anyway, "but if you could find a way to keep these kids together for a bit longer, well, that'd be just dandy."

**KH-KH-KH**

"Where is everybody?" Azlyn says, only barely holding off a stammer as she surveys the hangar outside the cockpit. She'd expected a pissed off Donald Duck to begin berating her over the intercom before the ship had even landed, every castle guard available prepared to take her into immediate custody, a soft yet stern look from the queen.

But all that had greeted the returning thieves had been an empty hangar.

"Telary to launch tower," Telary says slowly, every word deliberate and exquisitely pronounced. "Telary to launch tower, come in please. Over."

For the past five minutes they've sat, radioing the tower every thirty seconds to see if they'd get a reply, and so far there has been nothing said in response.

"I can't make out anybody moving in the booth," Azlyn sighs frustratedly, standing on a chair to get a better view outside. "Not even little Chip or Dale."

"Do you think something's wrong?" Jiminy asks, gazing out from his position atop the dashboard.

Sora, the only one in the cockpit whose nerves aren't compromised by worry, decides that he still must be the one to keep things calm.

"Let's try to not panic, guys," he says, hands spread wide in at attempt at gentleness. "Maybe they got held up by something, y'know? I've never been in one, but I'd imagine a castle's a pretty busy place. Maybe they don't even know you're here yet."

"Oh please, Sora," Azlyn scoffs in reply, rolling her eyes at the boy's naivety. "That alert went off the second the recall program got a lock on us, which was over a day ago on castle time. There's no way there wouldn't be _someone _waiting for us if everything was fine."

"Okay," Sora relents, taking a step back. "Sorry for interrupting your freak out."

"Sora, please," Telary says flatly, a harsh-sounding tone when applied to his usually emotive voice. "I know you think you're helping, but…"

"Let's go check things out," Azlyn says suddenly, a bit of fierce determination coming to her eyes.

Telary turns to face her. "Are you sure that's a good idea?" he asks, wringing his hands and staring uneasily out the window. "Maybe Sora's right, and if we'd just wait a bit longer…"

"Well, we can't stay in here forever," the girl says, already heading for the ladder. "Or at least I don't intend to. C'mon Sora, let's take a look around."

Sora nods resolutely, gives a '_what can you do?' _style shrug to Telary, and follows his companion down the ladder.

"Do you mind staying here, Jiminy?" Telary asks the cricket chronicler, grabbing his staff and fixing it in the holster at his side. "Just to keep an eye out, in case…"

"Say no more!" Jiminy says, hopping to his feet and immediately standing at attention, giving the mage a smart salute. "I'll hold down the fort, Cap'n!"

"Um, okay," Telary says, nodding his thanks and moving towards the ladder. He stops at the top of the hatch and looks down. Taking a deep breath and letting it out to calm himself, the mage grips the edges of the ladder and disappears down it.

"Whoa!" Sora says elatedly, turning in circles and trying to get an eye on every last inch of the hangar. "This place is amazing! I don't think I've ever seen so much technology in one place like this. How long has this hangar been here? What exactly happens in the control booth? What's with those giant gloves?"

Realizing his questions aren't being answered, maybe not even received, Sora turns to face his companions, who are both whipping their gazes around the hangar like they're afraid something will pounce at any minute. Listening closely, Sora can even detect the pair's teeth chattering nervously.

"C'mon guys," he says, approaching the pair. At the sound of his voice, both assume battle stances. Realizing it's just their companion, they relax. A little bit. "I know you're kinda freaking out right now, but if you don't calm down, then you'll probably just make things worse. And also, could you maybe stop chattering your teeth so much?"

"What are you talking about?" Azlyn scoffs, glaring at the boy. "My teeth aren't chattering. What about yours Telary?"

"Um, no," he agrees, eyes narrowing. "But now that you mention it, I do kind of hear…"

Suddenly the chattering rises to a continuous roar, coming seemingly from all sides of the hangar. The trio all summon their weapons, moving together to stand back to back in the middle of the landing platform, eyes searching every inch of the hangar they can for the source of the mysterious noise.

It reveals itself soon enough. A veritable legion of chattering, wind-up teeth, points filed sharp as razors, scuttle into the light, each of the dozen or so contraptions walking slowly but steadily on two wide, orange plastic feet.

"What?" Sora exclaims in bewilderment, even as he cautiously raises his weapon, then brings it down on a Chomper that has gotten too close. "Is this some kind of defense system you guys have, or…?"

"Can it, Sora!" Azlyn bellows, smashing three Chompers flat with her shield. She moves forward and kicks another, sending it flying back into two more. All three explode.

A quick pair of thunder spells from Telary ends the threat, leaving the platform littered with broken bits of robot and shattered razor teeth.

"Okay guys, I have to know…" Sora begins, turning to face his companions. He ends up looking at an empty platform, however. Looking around, he sees that Azlyn and Telary are already making a beeline for the stairs out of the hangar.

"Hmph," Sora mutters before rushing after his friends. As he goes, his foot catches in a puddle of water, causing him to stumble. He glares at the small collection of water, then turns to catch up to his obviously aggrieved friends.

As he goes, the water shifts, forming a long snouted head, staring after the retreating form of the Keyblade wielder and his lackeys.

"Okay, STOP!" Sora yells as he falls into step behind his companions on the stairs. They both turn to look at him. "I get that those things freaked you guys out, but I'm not going anywhere with you until you explain why!"

The mage and the knight share a look, then Azlyn launches into an explanation, looking annoyed all the while.

"Those teeth things," she explains hurriedly, waving her hands all around, "belong to a very bad guy named Quackerjack. He's this big time villain, always threatening the city of Mouseburg, which is just outside this castle. If those things are here, then I'm willing to bet that he's in the castle, which means big trouble."

"I don't know," Telary adds, nervously scratching at his chin. "Do you really think that Quackerjack could take over the whole castle by himself? Why would he try something so risky?"

"Hey, remember that this is the guy whose big April Fools' Day scheme was to make all trains run fifteen minutes late," Azlyn reminds her worried friend. She turns to Sora with a wry look in her eye. "The dude's crazy, is what I mean."

"Maybe," Telary accedes, reaching the door to the outside and placing his hands against it. "Still, I'd be on the lookout for more trouble."

He doesn't even get the chance to push the door before it flies open, sending the entire party back several steps.

A long, green appendage, thick as an electrical cord, moves through the portal, whipping back and forth, nearly catching Telary, who ducks just in time, right in the face.

Azlyn reacts quickly, swinging her shield at the attacking limb, cutting about a third of it off. The rest of it whips around, as if pain, then retreats back up the stairs and out into the garden beyond.

The trio are after it like a flash, filing out one by one into the open air of the garden.

All around them is chaos.

Large creatures scuttle to and fro, stubby brown appendages attached to long green stems that lead to a flower with huge petals. Each stalk possesses flailing limbs like had just attacked the trio in the tunnel.

Azlyn and Telary whip around and see, standing atop the highest point of the shrub sculpted into the shape of the castle that is the centerpiece of the whole garden, the source of all the chaos.

Sora turns to see it too, and is thoroughly disturbed by the odd, green creature that is before him, a haphazard collection of purple fur spouting from the top of its head.

"What?" he cries out in confusion.

The creature seems to perk up at the sound, and turns to face the group, his white lab coat flapping in the wind.

"Dr. Bushroot!" Telary cries out, taking several quick steps back.

"Well, I see you've finally arrived," Bushroot says with a chuckle, grinning. "I knew that if I caused enough trouble in this prison for the pettled, you'd come running. You non-synthesizers are certainly eager to maintain your hold on my leafy brethren!"

"This guys a real quack too!" Azlyn informs Sora, scowling at a pair of flower monsters that have wandered closer to the trio.

"Uh," is all Sora has to say at the moment. After a few seconds though, he finds his voice. "Forgive me for interrupting, but uh, why are you, well…"

"Ah, yes," Bushroot says with a wistful sig., "I'm sure you're curious about my condition. You see, my boy, I was a scientist, once, dedicated to the study of photosynthesis, specifically how we could use to rid ourselves of the pesky need to eat. But, when old King Mickey cut my funding, I was forced to test my research on myself, creating the superior being you see before you today!"

Sora is silent for several moments, connecting the information in his mind. "Okay, sure. But, actually what I was going to ask first is, sir, uh, why are you a duck?"

"What!" Bushroot exclaims, actually ejecting some pollen in his confusion, a yellow cloud of the stuff settling around his head. "Well, why are you a big pink weirdo?"

Sora opens his mouth to respond, but at that moment, a ball of flame flies through the air and slams into a plant monster, setting it ablaze. Flailing around, the monster accidentally spreads the flames engulfing it to several of its brothers.

"No!" Bushroot howls in rage and pain, as if he were the one burning. "How can this be?"

As the echoes of the insane doctor's wails fade, a trio of lightning bolts appear from the sky, striking the foliage around where he stands. Crying out in fear, Bushroot stumbles back several steps and falls backward from the shrub, which is now also ablaze.

"Nice one Telary!" Sora congratulates his magical teammate, a huge grin on his face.

"Uh, Sora," Telary replies, pursing his lips as he sees something across the garden, "that wasn't me."

Confused, Sora turns to follow his friend's gaze, spying the short, white feathered duck in a blue magician's robe, his pointy hat giving him several extra inches. In his hand he clutches a raised wand, identical to Telary's but a darker blue color.

"Master Donald!" Telary cries out, his voice shaking a bit as he vocalizes the name.

Two plant monsters spring up from the ground near the master wizard, only to be struck down by a hit from a large shield, designed same as Azlyn's, right in the midsections, both toppling over as Captain Goofy of the Royal Guard arrives on the scene.

"Captain!" Azlyn exclaims, taking a few steps forward to get a better look.

The newly arrived pair spot the trio and rush over. Goofy looks dimly pleased, but Donald's face is contorted in an expression of rage.

"Well hey there Azlyn, Telary," Goofy greets the pair convivially, smiling. "Long time no see, huh?"

Telary opens his mouth to give the captain a greeting back, but Donald speaks up first.

"You two are gonna pay for what you did!" he threatens in his squawky voice, actually jumping into the air he's so incensed. "Now that we've got you back in the castle, you'll be lucky if you…"

A loud splash interrupts the wizard's threats, a veritable tidal wave sweeping over the garden, putting out all of the various fires that have been started by the battle. The wave then takes a sharp turn back, all of the liquid crashing into a single spot in front of the trio. When the water stops moving, it's in the shape of a creature with a long face to match Goofy's, black eyes narrowed menacingly.

"It is I! The Liquidator!" the odd dog of water exclaims, bowing with a flourish. "Yes folks, its two villains for the price of one down here in the Disney Castle Gardens!"

"Now there's a water dog," Sora mutters under his breath. "And these guys had the nerve to make fun of Wonderland!"

"Thank you ever so much for tending to my dear friends, Liquidator," Bushroot says, stepping up to the watery villain's side, three plant monsters with wide, Venus flytrap mouths beside him.

"Well, Bush, it's like they say," the Liquidator replies with a smirk. "Water friends for?"

"Okay!" Azlyn yells outrageously. "You're going down hard, just for making me listen to that pun!"

"Not so fast, Azlyn," Donald quacks irritatedly, holding his staff in front of the girl to keep her in check. "We've got a plan… Unless you're thinking about disrupting this one too!"

Azlyn glares back at the duck, while everyone else starts to get nervous about the dozen strong squadron of plant monstrosities closing in on all sides of the quintet.

In the midst of the group, suddenly a small ball of golden lights appears. Everyone in the garden's gaze moves to it, fixated on its brilliance.

Suddenly, it begins to glow brighter, until those same people once staring at the ball are forced to look away for fear of permanent retinal damage.

"What's happening?" Sora asks, flinching, his voice frantic and wavering. "Is this another villain?"

"Don't worry Sora," Telary assures the boy, his eyes closed against the brilliance of the expanding light. "This definitely isn't the work of any villain…"

**KH-KH-KH**

Sora doesn't know what exactly he expects to see when the magical light that had burst into existence in a world occupied by walking, talking animals fades, but a shelf full of books isn't even in his top ten guesses.

"Wha?" is all he manages when he finally collects his scattered thoughts. Shaking his head, he turns around, coming face to face with a massive golden door flanked by two portraits of short creatures with absolutely enormous round ears. One is dressed in rough leathers and a coonskin cap, with a bushy white mustache beneath its black nose, and the other in a more formal red jacket, smoking a pipe and looking haughtily down at the viewer.

"Where are we?" the boy asks, absolutely bewildered by absolutely everything he's seeing.

His question goes unanswered, as everyone else immediately rushes forward, crowding around a big-eared, hunched over creature in a pink dress. A crown adorns her head, so Sora assumes this must be the queen, Minnie.

She doesn't look great, her face red as she breathes heavily in and out of her mouth, looking drained completely.

"Are you alright Your Majesty?" Telary asks, dropping to one knee at the queen's side.

"Quiet you!" Donald squawks, fixing his apprentice with a nasty gaze. "You don't get to address the queen like that, not after all the stress you've caused her!"

"Would you put a sock in it, Quacky!" Azlyn rips right back, giving the royal magician a glare that matches his in intensity. "He's just concerned about the queen. We all are!"

"I'm fine," Minnie finally manages to get out between puffs of breath. Goofy guides her over to a small desk and chair. Once she's seated, her breathing starts to normalize.

"That was some spell you used, Your Highness," Telary says, stepping back to stand by Azlyn's side. She's still engaged in a battle of glares with Donald. "I've never even heard of a spell that can do that."

"Thank you, Telary," Minnie says, accepting the compliment with a gracious nod. "It took a lot out of me, but I'm sure that I'll be fine in a moment, after I've had a chance to rest."

"So, what exactly is happening?" Azlyn asks, tearing her eyes away from Donald's to look up at her queen. "The castle garden is a freakin' who's who of bad guys, the hangar's crawling with some messed up Quackerjack teeth robots, there're giant plants everywhere... I mean, as far as danger to the castle, this is pretty much the high point."

"Yes, this is a dark hour indeed," Minnie agrees, sighing and looking up at the portraits by the door. "If only the king were here. He'd be able to stop the Fearsome Four."

"Fearsome Four!" Telary cries out, and Sora notices Azlyn looking visibly upset at the invoked name as well. The Keybearer remains silent, however, figuring his questions will be answered eventually.

"All of them at once, huh?" Azlyn says after she's regained a bit of composure. "Have you tried calling in Darkwing Duck yet?"

"Ha!" Donald scoffs, crossing his arms and sticking his beak up haughtily. "Like we need help from some two-bit scum vigilante whose ego couldn't fit in the royal audience chamber!"

"And besides, he's pretty busy," Goofy adds, earning an indignant squawk from his feathered counterpart. "That ol' Negaduck is causing a heap of trouble down in Mouseburg."

"No problem," Azlyn states confidently, her smile widening and her eyes getting bright. "Me, Telary, and Sora can handle these clowns easy. After all the stuff we've seen, a bunch of criminals don't scare us."

"Ha!" Donald scoffs once again, chuckling a bit darkly. "Azlyn, if you want to fight criminals so bad, I'd suggest you just start hitting yourself!"

"Oh, will you come off it!" Azlyn roars right back, actually drawing her shield, scowling harshly at the wizard. "Yeah, we did a bad thing, and we definitely disobeyed orders. But, we did manage to complete the mission. We found the key!"

The declaration is met with a squawk of confusion and surprise from Donald, an awed noise by Goofy, and a sudden reenergizing of the queen, who leaps off her chair enthusiastically.

"You did!" she exclaims, stepping up to the pair. "Where? Where is it?"

Azlyn and Telary give each other a brief look before stepping aside and gesturing to Sora, who is a bit taken aback at the sudden attention. For a moment he just stands still, stunned into silence, until Azlyn coughs loudly into her hand.

"Oh!" he says, reaching out a hand and calling out for his weapon. A long shaft of light flashes briefly in his hand, and when it fades, he holds the Keyblade in his grip.

Both Donald and Goofy let out gasps of wonder, leaning forward to get a better look at the blade. Queen Minnie smiles widely, stepping forward to brush her gloved hands against the blade's smooth shaft.

"We found each other in Traverse Town," Sora explains, lowering the Keyblade to his side. "Well, they kinda landed on me, actually. But, anyway, afterwards they asked me to come with them on their ship, to look for their king. They even offered to help me look for my friends. Ever since then we've been traveling to other worlds, fighting darkness pretty much everywhere we went. I know they disobeyed, and they even lied to me about who they were, but I swear I'd be a goner if it wasn't for them."

Minnie and Goofy both look at the boy fondly, while Donald just rolls his eyes and irritably taps his foot.

"And even more important than that," the Keybearer continues, dismissing the Keyblade and pulling Azlyn and Telary close to his sides, "they helped me carry on when I wanted to give up. They're my friends, and I couldn't imagine spending one second searching the worlds without them."

"I can tell that you've all become very important to each other," the queen says with a sigh, looking over the trio once again. "It doesn't erase the wrongs they've done, though," she continues, and Azlyn and Telary both look away with pained expressions. "But, I suppose that's all a conversation we'll have to have at another time, hm? For now, we've got to deal with this attack!"

"I bet we could take 'em," Donald chimes in, stepping forward. "If it weren't for all those freaky plants Bushroot has runnin' around! There must be a hundred of the things! Way too many for us to beat."

"Well, uh," Sora says, raising his hand shyly and actually backing up a step when everyone else turns to look at him. "Doesn't this castle have, um, an army or something? I know Azlyn said she's in the royal guard, so…"

"Well, we _do _have the guard," Goofy replies, scratching at his neck sheepishly. "But there's only about ten of 'em, and they ain't exactly, uh…"

"The royal guard _is _mostly ceremonial, I'm afraid," Minnie adds. "Besides Azlyn and Goofy, they most likely won't be much help."

"I'll say," Azlyn speaks up with a snort. "In fact, I'd bet you ten to one the stinkin' mop servants would make a better army."

"Now you listen here, missy!" Donald starts, wagging his finger authoritatively, seemingly glad to have the chance to yell again.

"That's it!" Telary bursts out suddenly, interrupting Donald's tirade before it begins and drawing the attention of the room. "It's so easy!"

"What is it, Telary?" Minnie asks curiously, stepping toward him. "You have an idea?"

"As a matter of fact, Your Majesty, I do!" Suddenly standing tall and confident, he marches to the center of the room, eyes bright and mouth grinning. "What Azlyn said about the mops actually gave it to me!"

Off everyone's bewildered expressions and confused noises, he begins his explanation. "I think that it is actually possible to use the mops as a kind of impromptu fighting force. I mean, they all run their cleaning and serving assignments through the Master Spell Control totem in the High Tower, right? All we'd have to do is, uh, for lack of a better term 'reprogram' their orders for battle."

"You mean change the spell?" Donald asks, skepticism heavy in his voice. "The spell that's been running nonstop for decades? The one the king and I took three whole days to set up? The most powerful spell ever cast in Disney Castle? _That _spell?"

"Uh, yeah," Telary replies, his voice wavering minutely. "I wouldn't be easy, of course, but I've studied it pretty extensively, and I think my theory is sound."

"Whaddya think, Your Majesty?" Goofy asks the thoughtful looking queen. After a minute of pacing and scratching her chin, she stops and speaks up.

"Well, I think Telary is right about it being possible," she agrees. "I've studied the spell a bit myself, and it shouldn't be hard to tweak it a bit. The problem, however, is getting to the High Tower through all of these menaces."

"We can handle it, Your Majesty," Azlyn assures her queen, actually dropping to one knee and lowering her head. "Telary, Sora, and I have been doing quite a bit of fighting these past few days, and I think we could get through to the tower."

"Oh no you don't!" Donald roars, stepping up to the kneeling girl with a fire in his eyes. "I'm in charge of you…"

"Well, uh, Donald, technically I'm in charge…" Goofy starts to weakly protest, cut off midsentence by a death glare from the duck sorcerer.

"And I say that your hero days are finished!" the mage continues, ignoring Azlyn's head snapping up with a shocked expression, as well as Telary's gaping mouth at hearing the news. "I don't care if you're all best friends now, from now on, me and Goofy'll be doing the companioning around here!"

"Hey, you can't…!" Sora stars to protest, stepping up to the duck with his hand in Keyblade summoning position, only to stop when the diminutive wizard scowls at him.

"That's right, kid," Donald confirms with a hard look in his eye. "You're stuck with us, whether you like it or not!"

Sora starts moving forward again, and Azlyn rises from her position on the floor with fists clenched, surrounding the duck while the other three people in the library watch in sheer horror.

Before any actual combat can take place, a loud boom echoes throughout the room and the golden doors leap forward as if struck. As the echoes of the sound fade, everyone turns to the doors.

Suddenly another explosion bucks the doors, sending them flying open, a strange white foam bursting into the room, splattering Telary, the closest person to the door.

The young mage, predictably, freaks out.

"Aaaah!" he cries, running around aimlessly as the sticky foam oozes into his eyes. "It's burning, I'm melting, it…!"

Suddenly a hearty, borderline deranged laugh echoes through the room, chilling everyone. As the sound fades, a duck dressed in the yellow and red striped costume of a medieval court jester struts into his room, clutching his stomach.

"Oh man!" he blurts through his guffaws. "The look on your face! You can relax, kid, it's just whipped cream!"

"Huh?" Telary cautiously scoops a handful of foam into his hand and puts it into his mouth, discovering instantly that it is, in fact, just whipped cream that he's covered in. "Oh, heh. What do ya know?"

"Quackerjack, you clod!" Donald yells, waving his staff at the criminal menacingly. "You get outta here right now before I have to fry you!"

"Geeze Louise you are tense, Donald ol' boy!" Quackerjack says with a roll of his eyes, stepping forward to meet the wizard. "You really should try to have fun, like me!"

"You really think holding up castles is fun?" Sora says with an air of challenge, swinging the Keyblade once to show he means business.

"Oh, absolutely," the jeering jester replies, drawing out a fake flower from his back pocket. "In fact, I'm having an absolute gas!"

The horrible harlequin thrusts the rose forward and squeezes its stem, unleashing a cloud of purple gas directly at Donald and Azlyn, who begin to choke and stumble back.

Enraged at his friend's pain, Sora steps forward and swings the Keyblade in a mighty horizontal slash, actually picking Quackerjack off the ground and sending him flying back at the doorway, where he lands with a solid _plunk_ on the stone tile, right at the feet of a tall rat in a yellow jumpsuit with an honest-to-God battery plugged into his back. Electric sparks seem to continually flicker off of it.

"Poor Quackerjack," the rat sighs with a giggle, looking pitiably at the injured jokester at his feet. "You never were very _bright_, were you?"

"Dang… It!" Azlyn manages through the coughing fit caused by the gas attack to her face. "What is with these people and their stinkin' puns?"

"What do you want, Megavolt?" Minnie requests of the villain, eyes hard and determined as she steps toward him. "Why are you attacking the castle?"

"Well, Your Highness, if you must know," Megavolt explains, his right eye twitching twice, "our services were purchased by a benefactor I dare not name. Someone who would see the wielder of the Keyblade," he points a menacing gloved paw directly at Sora, who grits his teeth defiantly, "and his traveling companions laid low by our awesome power!"

"Just try it you…!" Donald rages at the rat, only to be silenced by a burst of electricity exploding beside him, singing his feathers and sending him scrambling backwards.

"And rest assured, we will have them," the sparky psycho continues, as if the duck's rant had never occurred. "But, seeing as we're here, we've decided we might as well take over your castle too!"

Raising his finger high with a maniacal laugh, Megavolt calls to the digit every ounce of power he can dig up from his supercharged biochemistry. Cackling like the madman he is, he brings down his finger and thrusts it forward, sending several sizzling chords of pure blue electricity hurtling at the heroes.

As the tendrils grow closer, Sora flinches, holding the Keyblade in front of him desperately even as he averts his eyes from the bright lights.

The light continues to glow for what seems like an awfully long time to the Keybearer, so he cautiously raises his eyes back up.

He sees the queen, her arms raised and projecting a kind of yellow light, like that of the sun on a summer afternoon. The light floats in the air, blue sparks of the destructive energy Megavolt had sent out flashing momentarily all along the solid barrier of sheer light before being snuffed.

"Wow," Telary says as he takes a curious step forward, a look of pure awe on his face. "She's actually converting the electricity into magic, and using it to fortify the shield's structure. I could study for years and not…"

"Put a sock in it, Telary," Donald interrupts, moving to stand before the group. "You three need to get ready to move. As soon as the queen drops her shield, you've gotta make a run for the tower, okay?"

"But you said…" Telary begins.

"I know what I said," the sorcerer snaps back, rolling his eyes. "But the queen needs me an' Goofy here to protect her! You and the key can make it to the tower, right?"

"Yes, we can," Azlyn says confidently, her lungs finally cleared of the gas from Quackerjack's attack.

"Good," Donald replies as Goofy moves to stand beside him, shield drawn and eyes determined. "Don't get killed or anything," he jokes as he turns around and prepares his staff. "If ya do, I won't get my chance to punish ya! Now, Your Majesty!"

Minnie lowers her hands and the shield drops. Not a second later, Donald sends a burst of ice magic at the villains, while Goofy leaps forward.

The spell hits Megavolt, covering him in frost and sending him sputtering as he takes a step back, then Goofy delivers a shield strike straight to Quackerjack's torso, putting the villain down.

The victorious moment fades not a second later, as a trio of the long stemmed, tentacle equipped flowers move in to attack, their tendrils whipping everywhere.

Sora, Azlyn, and Telary make a run out of the library, quickly cutting down a second trio of plant monsters right behind the first ones, then another, until a group of lightning bolts sent by Donald gives them an opening to head off down a side corridor.

Plant creatures endeavor to follow them, but they can't escape Goofy, whirling at them with the force of a tornado and cutting them down to size. He stops, reorients himself, and begins battling the rest of the monsters, pushing them forward into range of the huge fireballs Donald is creating with his Firaga spell.

A massive bolt of fire is the last thing Telary sees before the trio takes another right into the next corridor, the door to the High Tower set back in the wall beneath a painting of another of the king's ancestors, this one decked out in the battle gear of a Viking.

A quartet of plants are waiting there, two of the tentacle-vine kind and another pair of Venus flytraps.

Sora and Azlyn leap towards the creatures, Sora bringing his Keyblade down on a flytrap while Azlyn crushes a tentacle-vine beneath her boots, then hurls her shield to cut down the other flytrap, even as Telary freezes the last creature solid.

"This way!" Azlyn shouts, opening the door to the High Tower and waving everyone towards it. As soon as everyone is inside, Azlyn slams the door shut. Through it she can hear more plant monsters marching towards their position. "Hurry, people!"

The trio races up the stairs, not even noticing the pool of shimmering blue water sneaking in beneath the crack of the door.

"How many stairs are there to this tower?" Sora asks his companions after about a solid minute of running up a winding staircase with no end in sight.

"Hey," Azlyn huffs out, a bit tired herself after combing stairclimbing with all the fighting she's been doing, "they don't call it the High Tower for nothing."

"Besides," Telary chimes in, though his breathing is even more labored than the other two, "if we put all of these stairs between us, it'll take a long time for the bad guys to catch up!"

"Are you sure about that?" says a familiar voice. A moment later, the watery form of the Liquidator slithers past the trio to stand a few steps above Telary, arms crossed and black eyes gleaming and gloating.

"Aah!" Telary cries, nearly falling backwards back down the stairs. Luckily, Sora is able to place a steadying hand on the mage's back and hold him up until he regains his footing.

"Has this ever happened to you?" Liquidator inquires smugly, with all the false charm of a snake oil salesman. "You think you've gotten away, you think your plan will work, only to discover that you are in fact _trapped_? Well folks, if you ever…"

"BLIZZARA!" Telary roars, the spell's activation word echoing up and down the stairwell. Raising his staff, the mage unleashes a blast of pure cold, encasing the entirety of the Liquidator in ice and cutting off his prideful spiel.

"Why you… little…" the villain hisses through his frozen mouth. "When I thaw, I'll…"

He doesn't get to finish this threat either, as Azlyn rushes upward, grabs the rogue's frozen arm and pitches him down the stairs. Chunks of his icy body can be heard breaking off all the way down the staircase.

"Azlyn!" Telary cries out with a bit of anguish. "Why did you do that?"

"Hey, you froze him," the knight defends, looking almost indignant at being chastised at this juncture.

"I was just gonna leave him frozen here. You watch the news, you know how he slows down when he gets frozen! I certainly wasn't planning on hurling him down the stairs!"

"Uh, guys," Sora chimes in, his ears detecting the last thunk of the Liquidator's tumble. "Could we maybe talk this through later?"

The trio continue on up the stairs for another minute, finally reaching the wooden door to the High Tower's main room.

The room is empty except for an oak table in the middle of the room, where a blue conical hat with silvery star and moon patterns stitched into it rests. Light from the tower's sole window shines upon the hat, giving it a slight silvery blue glow.

"A hat?" Sora exclaims incredulously, moving forward and reaching out for it. "Why is there a hat up here…"

Azlyn grabs the boy's arm before he can get his hands too close to the artifact, yanking him back unceremoniously.

"The hat is the Master Control Spell," Telary explains, moving forward and staring at the hat with a reverent look. "It's the direct connection into every magical operation of the castle, and how Donald and the king were able to weave such a complicated spell as the one that keeps the mops going night and day."

"And therefore _you_ shouldn't be touching it," Azlyn adds sternly, releasing the Keybearer's wrist from her grip.

"Okay, okay," Sora complies, backing away and rubbing his wrist with a wince. "Yeesh."

"Frankly," Telary says with a bit of a shake, "I'm not even sure _I _should be touching it. There's a lot of power tied up in this thing, and if I can't use it…"

"You can, though," Azlyn assures her partner, placing her hand gingerly on his shoulder. "I believe you can."

"Me too!" Sora adds brightly, though he keeps his still hurting wrist to himself.

"Alright then," the mage says, taking in and letting out a deep breath, his arms reaching for the hat and lifting it into position above his head. "Here goes everything!"

Sora and Azlyn watch as the mage takes another deep breath, sets a steely look into his eyes, and jams the cone onto his head.

For a second, nothing happens.

"Huh," Telary says, a bit bewildered. "I thought that it would… Oh my!"

_You have been deemed worthy, wizard._

As the voice fades from the boy's mind, the stars and crescent moons of the hat emit a golden glow, and in seconds his eyes glaze over with an aura to match and he rises about a foot into the air.

"Oh, wow," Telary breathes out, the corner of his mouth teasing up into a grin. "That's interesting…"

"What?" Azlyn asks, not daring to get any closer to her empowered friend.

"Turns out I _did_ leave that broom running!"

Azlyn groans out loud, while Sora just looks at the pair with confusion, a feeling he's gotten plenty used to since arriving at the castle.

"There, it's off," Telary reports happily.

"Just do the spell we came for, huh?" Azlyn prompts. "We're on something of a schedule here, in case you'd forgotten."

"Okay, sure. I've isolated the spell I want, now I just need a minute to rearrange it. Won't take long, I promise."

"So what should we do in the meantime?"

"Uh, I've got a question you could answer," Sora speaks up, getting Azlyn to finally stop looking at her partner. "Since we've got this minute and all."

"Sure, go ahead," Azlyn allows, leaning back against the table and crossing her arms.

"Okay, so," the Keyblade wielder begins, hoping he's being sensitive enough with his question, "you know how everyone is some kind of animal in this world? Well, if that's the case, then why…?"

"Why aren't me and Telary a swan and a badger?"

"Uh, yeah, I guess," Sora confirms, his eyebrows quirking up. "How did you get 'swan and badger'?"

"Trust me, it's something I thought about a lot growing up." Sighing, Azlyn pushes off the table's edge. "Well, being perfectly honest Sora, we're not too sure. No one in the castle really is, or at least they haven't told us about it. Apparently we just showed up at the door one day, pretty much abandoned."

"So you two are related?"

"No, we're not. They ran some tests, no match. That was about twelve years ago."

_Twelve years_, Sora thinks, curious. If he'd been counting correctly, that had been around the same time Kairi had shown up after the meteor shower. An odd coincidence, to be sure.

"Anyway, the king took pity on us, I guess," Azlyn continues, a fond smile incrementally lighting up her face. "Raised us pretty much from then on. Everybody in the castle pitched in, of course, but the king was… Well, he was just the best. He recommended me for Royal Guard training when I was thirteen, thinking it'd help with my aggression." She looks to Telary, the grin widening. "Same thing for Telary and being Donald's apprentice. He's a great guy."

"That why you want to find him so much?"

Azlyn shrugs. "Suppose. I mean, I kinda feel like I owe him, ya know? For putting up with me all those years."

For a moment everything is sweet and calm. That doesn't last long.

The door to the tower bursts open with a loud _boom_, and into the room hops Quackerjack, riding atop a large pogo stick and grinning maniacally.

"I knew I'd find you up here!" the jeering jester exclaims, hooting with glee.

"Hold it there, you doofus!" Azlyn defiantly shouts, raising her fists for combat.

"There's no way you're messing this up!" Sora adds as the Keyblade flashes into his hands.

"Not if you can't catch us!" Azlyn yells, darting swiftly out of the room. It takes a second for Sora to get with the program, but he soon follows.

Quackerjack just snorts. Like he'd follow such obvious bait when clearly the one to beat is the guy with the glowing hat. Like he'd be insane enough to...

"You know, I used to have one of your dollies when I was a kid," Azlyn calls mockingly back up the stairs. "And let me tell ya, it really _sucked_!"

"How dare you!" Quackerjack roars, his playful demeanor evaporating like Liquidator in a skillet. "My toy designs were, are, and always will be perfect, you little ingrate!"

"Please. I bet that dumb pogo stick you're using sucks just as hard!"

"I'll show you!" the demented duck screams, turning to pursue his insolent quarry. "We'll see who sucks when I'm scraping you off of the bottom of this thing!"

His mighty springed steed takes the stairs two at a time, maintaining perfect balance even on the narrow steps. The constant curve of the stairwell is a bit difficult to negotiate, but nothing his magnificent invention can't…

On his next bounce down, suddenly all motion stops. Looking down in the spare quarter of a second he has before he begins to pitch forward, Quackerjack sees the girl knight holding the spring in her hand, smirking up at the persnickety prankster before slamming her arm, and the pogo with it, downward.

Quackerjack flies down the air above the stairs, screaming all the while, until he reaches the curve, nothing but hard, unforgiving stone wall ahead.

He's not even that lucky, though, as Sora steps up, Keyblade held back like a batter ready to hit a homer. He swings the blunt sword forward and connects solidly, sending the criminal comedian hurtling a few feet back up the stairs, where he slams head first into Azlyn's shield. He sinks to the floor with a weak groan before passing out.

"Nice one, Az!" Sora cheers, his grin stretching as far as his face can allow.

"Well, I wasn't kidding about the doll," the girl says modestly. "It didn't even do karate chops or anything!"

"So you beat me up!" Quackerjack whines, clutching his aching head but still managing to fix Azlyn with a hard glare. "Doesn't matter! We still got the court duck and the guard dog. Sent 'em off to our boss Maleficent. And Megavolt's gonna use the queen to unlock the throne room and become king!"

"What!" Azlyn yells, lifting Quackerjack by the collar and roughly shoving him against the wall.

"Yeah, that's right," the defeated but still cocky criminal gloats. "If half the things we've heard about Maleficent are true, then those yutzes are as good as…"

Azlyn decks the duck in the beak, knocking him out for the count. She drops him and Sora can see the dark intensity in her eyes.

"Come on," she says, already heading down the stairs, taking them two at a time.

"But what about…"

"He'll catch up, Sora," the girl cuts him off, already several feet below him. With a last glance up to the tower room, Sora turns to follow his friend.

When he reaches the bottom of the staircase, he sees that Azlyn is already there waiting, though she doesn't seem to be doing anything but staring down the hall, where quite a few oddly loud sounds are originating from.

Sora steps to her side and his mouth drops open as he witnesses two mops standing on their bristles, thin wooden arms whipping down on an overwhelmed Venus flytrap with feet

Down the corridor, a tentacle-vine flower snaps a mop into three pieces, only for the pieces to each regrow into another mop, who all launch themselves at the mutant plant with bristly karate kicks.

"I hate to have to say this," the boy says to his equally transfixed friend. "But you come from one strange world."

The pair are so focused on the bizarre battles taking place that they don't notice the jets of water until it's too late. They slam into the pair's backs like blunted spears, sending both of them to the floor.

"You think you can make a fool out of the Liquidator twice and get away scot free!" the villain behind Azlyn and Sora cries, his sales-pitch lingo foregone in his rage.

Slowly and with heavy groans, the pair turn to face their foe, who looks at them with nothing but hatred in his beady black eyes.

"How does it feel to know you're about to be the first folks in Disney Castle to drown on dry land, eh?"

"FIRA!"

A large ball of pure flame shoots out the high tower stairway entrance and slams into the Liquidator, boiling and evaporating him in a microsecond.

Sora and Azlyn look up to see Telary emerge from the staircase door, the tip of his wand still smoking.

"Wasn't that a bit _harsh_, Tel?" Azlyn teases as she rises, offering her hand down to Sora to help him stand.

"Well," the mage stutters, shrugging uneasily, "circumstances being what they were, I figured… Anyway, Donald and Goofy's signatures aren't showing up in the castle's magic resonance field, so I think something's happened."

"Quackerjack said that they got them," Sora says, with a droopy frown. "Took them to someone named Maleficent. I guess she was the one who hired them."

"Well, that doesn't sound like any villain I know," Telary says. "Maybe the queen will. And speaking of, I think she's in trouble!"

"Megavolt took her to the throne room," Azlyn provides, sneering.

"That's where she was showing up on the field, yeah. Let's go!"

The trio race back down the same corridors whence they'd come, though this time they pass several mop versus plant smackdowns. All in all, the mops seemed to be wiping the floor with Bushroot's monstrosities.

"Nice job on the spell Telary," Azlyn congratulates, and Sora makes a small noise of agreement.

"Thanks guys," Telary replies modestly. "Honestly it wasn't that difficult. I already had the spell's infrastructure to work off of, so I just had to modify the…"

"Telary," Azlyn interrupts. "Just accept the compliment, okay?"

"Sure."

When they reach the throne room, part of the massive door has fallen and left a hole. Steeling themselves and readying their weapons, the trio enters.

The audience chamber is as wide and long as Telary remembers, and at the end of it, by the throne stand Megavolt, Bushroot, and Queen Minnie, her arms bound to her sides by thick green vines.

"I see that neither Quackerjack nor the Liquidator were villain enough to subdue you three," Megavolt sneers haughtily, jumping up into the throne's seat. "I assure you, I won't make their mistakes. You will fall, and this castle will belong to me!"

"I get the queen though, right?" Bushroot interjects a bit needily, prompting a loud outburst from the captive queen that's muffled considerably by the vine gag around her mouth. "You said the queen could be my girlfriend!"

"Yes, Bushroot," Megavolt sighs, hitting the plant/duck hybrid with an annoyed stare, "the queen will be your girlfriend, and you can watch your soaps in the throne on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. That was the agreement, and I…"

"Would you two mind putting a sock in it?" Azlyn roars. "Besides, it doesn't matter what you think is gonna happen after you take the castle, since that's not happening!"

"Yeah!" Sora chimes in. "You chumps couldn't even do your paid job right!"

"What do you mean?" Megavolt inquires.

"Donald and Goofy weren't the ones traveling with me," the Keybearer gloats. "Azlyn and Telary are!"

"And you'll never catch us now!"

With that final taunt from Azlyn, the trio turn and hightail it out of the throne room, trusting in Megavolt's rage to goad him into their intended course of action.

The lightning bolt that flashes out the door seconds after they've exited into the colonnade confirms that he's playing to their tune.

"So, uh, what's the plan now, guys?" Sora asks, looking over his shoulder nervously. "Because I can't run forever, y'know!"

"Well, Megavolt's powers short out when he's exposed to water," Telary explains.

"Too bad the Liquidator go fried, eh?" Azlyn teases the mage with a wink.

"Hey, that…"

"Relax Tel. I've got a plan. Just follow me, and everything…"

Another blast of electricity impacts behind the group, catching Telary in its shockwave and sending him flying down a nearby set of stairs.

"Telary!" Azlyn yells, though she knows that she has to just keep on running. She and Sora put on another burst of speed, and she silently hopes her friend is okay.

Telary lands with a loud _thunk _and lets out a groan. Sitting up and shaking his head clear, the mage looks around to see that he's landed in the Disney Castle kitchen.

In one corner huddle a group of chefs, one of them the very same rabbit that had pawned off his serving job on the mage the morning everything had started going pear-shaped.

"Are you okay?" the cook asks, clutching his round chef's hat in his paws.

"Fine, actually," Telary replies with a chuckle, though the ache concentrated particularly in his tailbone has him wishing he had a potion on him.

"Say, don't I know you from somewhere?"

It could be argued that this whole affair is in fact this particular rabbit chef's fault, but Telary is too kind to point that out.

"Uh, not sure," he replies innocently. "Maybe you've seen me practicing magic with Master Donald?"

Sora and Azlyn, meanwhile, have finally reached their destination: the castle's gym complex.

"What are we doing here?" Sora inquires, taking in all the exercise equipment. Azlyn grabs his arm and hurries him along.

"Well, you know how Telary said Megavolt gets shorted out by water?"

"We're gonna sweat on him?" Sora cries out in disgust.

"No, idiot!" Azlyn shoots back, squeezing a bit hard on the boy's arm and eliciting a tiny squeal. "We're gonna…"

"DIE!" Megavolt's deranged voice screams, and suddenly another bolt of lightning hurtles toward the pair.

Sora reacts faster than Azlyn, summoning the Keyblade. The electricity hits the mystic weapon and bounces off, impacting harmlessly on the rubber mat on the floor.

"C'mon!" Azlyn nudges the boy towards the locker rooms.

They enter the room and Sora looks around, a kind of goofy grin playing across his mouth.

"I'm in a girls' locker room!" he chuckles, prompting an eye roll from his partner.

"You can act like a dumb teenage boy later," she snaps, grabbing him by the hood and leading him further back.

"I'll get you for this," Megavolt's screechy voice yells from the room's entrance. "You castle dwellers will pay dearly for the oppression you perpetrate. I mean really, machines designed only to step on? And that's not even mentioning the way you sweat all over them!"

The villain rounds the corner, smirking as he stalks towards the pair huddled near the door to the showers.

"Now I have you," he gloats, raising an already sparking finger. He shoots, but the pair dodge and run into the shower room. Sensing weakness, the villain pursues, stalking through the doorway…

And getting Azlyn's foot in his back, propelling the mad rodent forward and underneath a medium pressure head.

Sora, standing near the taps, turns them as far as they go. The head sputters a moment, and then a torrent of tiny water drops descend on Megavolt.

"No!" he cries in anguish as his powers short out, leaving him nothing but a drowned rat in a jumpsuit. "No, it's not fair!"

Azlyn winds up and hurls her shield directly at the fiend's furry face, hitting him in the chin and sending him to the tile floor.

The pair emerge from the locker room a bit damp. Especially Sora, who had been right near the shower as it had started up. Telary is waiting for them.

"You used the showers, I take it?" the mage asks. Azlyn nods at him with a pleased grin on her face. "Nice. Good work team."

"Now there's just Bushroot to deal with," Azlyn says, with a great sigh. "C'mon, fellas let's get up top."

They reach the colonnade once more without incident, as the mops have taken care of all the plant creatures. Some of the castle's occupants and workers are even beginning to emerge from where they'd been hiding.

The audience chamber seems to be where they've all congregated, but Queen Minnie and Bushroot are nowhere to be seen.

"Azlyn! Telary!" a duck in a purple dress cries out in anguish as the trio enter the room, a pair of chipmunks dressed in yellow smocks, one with a red nose and the other a black one and wearing a fedora, trailing along behind her.

"Hi, Miss Daisy," Telary greets her cautiously, pronouncing 'miss' with the hard 'z' sound. "Did you manage to get to safety quickly during…"

"Where are Donald, Goofy, and the queen?" she asks, wringing her hands. "I haven't seen them since Donald told me to go hide. Are they alright?"

The trio all look at each other awkwardly, none of them wanting to crush the poor woman's hopes.

They're spared the need for an answer, however, by the sound of a loud crash from out in the colonnade. Spinning back toward the door, the group rushes out into the hall.

The party comes to a halt outside the door, as they stand in shock and fear regarding the huge shrubbery before them in the shape of a giant man, at least fifteen feet tall. The column it had just knocked over to announce itself sits in two pieces on the carpeted floor.

"Hear me, denizens of Disney Castle!" Bushroot's voice, amplified somehow, rings out over the area. "I have your queen trapped inside my shrub armor. Surrender her and the castle to me, and no harm will come to her, or any of you. If you choose to resist…"

The shrub-automaton swings leafy right arm into another pillar, sending it toppling down. Everyone manages to dodge it, but a large chunk breaks off and clips Telary on the forehead, opening a wound and sending a trickle of blood down his face. He falls back into Azlyn's arms.

"Telary!" she cries, checking him over swiftly as Sora kneels beside the pair. "Telary are you okay?"

He mumbles something vaguely affirmative, already gesturing for Sora to hand over a potion.

"That's it, Bushroot," Azlyn says determinately, rising and drawing her shield. "You and your dumb villain pals have wrecked my home, kidnapped two of my friends, and hurt another. I'm tired of it, and I'm tired of you! I may have resented this place before, but none of that matters anymore, because you've messed up one of the nicest places in the universe, and for that, I'm gonna kick your ass!"

Everyone present gasps at the curse word, the first in anyone present's memory to be uttered in such a public setting at the castle. When the gasp fades, a loud _gulp _from Telary follows, then the loud tinkling of broken glass as he drops the potion bottle to the floor.

"Come and get me!" Bushroot roars, raising the shrub's hand over its head and fist-pumping the air.

"You ready for this Tel?" Azlyn whispers.

"Sure am," he replies with a smirk.

"Let's do this!" Sora cheers with a fist-pump of his own.

"Here we go boys… CHARGE!"

The trio leap at the giant leafy monstrosity, barreling inside its chest cavity, hacking away at the leaves in front of them and stomping others underfoot.

When they finally manage to penetrate inside the monster, they find themselves in a tiny chamber within it, lit dimly by luminescent phosphorus leaves scattered throughout. Queen Minnie sits against one wall, arms and mouth still bound.

"It's okay your majesty," Telary assures the monarch as Sora cuts away her bonds and Azlyn removes the vine from her mouth. "We're gonna get you out of here before you can say…"

"Stop!" Bushroot screams, dropping down from the leafy ceiling, four vines growing out of his back and into the infrastructure of his shrub armor, one other connected to his head. "You will not spoil my victory! Not you foolish children! I will have my castle, and I will have my bride, and…"

"Hey, Bushy!" Azlyn interrupts, drawing back her shield arm, "I think I've heard enough monologues for today." She hurls her weapon in a perfect arc, slicing straight through all of the vines Bushroot had been using to operate his monstrosity.

The mad doctor drops to the ground with a blank look, his mind temporarily scrambled by the loss of his creation.

As for the creation, the structure begins to shake, chunks of leafy branches coming down all around.

"We've got to get out of here!" Telary cries, and Sora moves immediately to begin cutting his way back out.

"Stop, Sora!" Minnie commands, standing still and looking regal despite the chaos around her. "Everyone gather around. I think I have one last shield in me!"

The creature falls to pieces all around them, but the trio remain safe in the queen's golden shield. After a solid minute of leaves falling around them, the group finds itself atop a high tower of leaves, looking up at the citizens above.

"You ruined it all!" Bushroot cries out in sheer anguish. "I was going to have it all! Revenge, a lady friend, every…"

"Y'know," Telary sighs, drawing his arm back, "I think Azlyn was right." He swings, and the head of his staff connects with the disgraced scientist's skull, knocking him out instantly. "That's enough monologues for today."

The next thing they hear is cheering.


	14. Next Steps

The throne room is the least ruined area in the castle, barring a few black marks on the floor courtesy of Megavolt's lightning's heat flash, so the trio meet with Queen Minnie there.

She sits above them on the throne, all three of the world travelers having taken a respectful knee, heads bowed and eyes fixed on the floor.

"I'd like to extend to you three my official thanks," she begins, her voice cheery and proud. "You all showed exceptional skill and bravery in defense of the castle and its people, who are all undoubtedly indebted to you."

The trio raise their heads and grin at each other, Telary and Azlyn's faces especially bright.

"It's only too bad that none of us were able to prevent Master Donald and Captain Goofy from being taken," the queen sighs, and the trio's smiles all vanish.

"Where could they have taken them, Your Majesty?" Azlyn asks. "Because we could search the city for…"

"Sadly, they have been taken off world," Minnie confirms, rubbing her forehead tiredly. "I detected the teleportation as soon as it happened."

"At least they're alive, though," Sora chimes in. "I mean, we can get them back. I'm sure we can!"

"I know it can't really make up for what we did, but…" Azlyn frowns directly at the floor. "We want to help in any way we can."

"You can help by continuing on your current mission," Minnie says. Azlyn and Telary hop up and look at each other in shock, and Minnie explains further. "While it is true that your previous actions were unconscionable and wrong, it seems that you two have proven yourselves, as per the testimony of Sora and Jiminy Cricket."

The tiny conscience hops up on the back of the throne and gives his charges a little wink.

"And while rest assured there will be consequences at some future date," the queen continues, "for now, you have my personal blessing in this matter. I am sure you will make me, and the king, proud."

"Thank you very much your majesty!" Telary says, his legs actually faltering a bit, though Sora is on hand to keep him upright.

"We won't let you down, we swear!" Azlyn adds, bowing her head respectfully. "We'll stick to Sora and the Keyblade like glue, and we'll bring the Donald, Goofy, and the king home too!"

Minnie rises and makes her way down the steps. Standing in front of Azlyn and Telary, she offers each of them a hand, which they take. "As I said before, I have every confidence that you will."

The group moves out into the corridor, where the castle's brooms, already reset to their primary function, are assisting the employees in cleaning up the debris and dead plant life still littering the colonnade.

"I wish we could stay and help fix up the castle, Your Majesty," Sora says as he surveys the scene. "It looks like it's gonna be a lot of work."

"The people of this world are strong and full of ingenuity, Sora," the queen assures the Keyblade wielder, gesturing to a group of pigs dressed in hard hats and overalls working together to clear away a large section of stone column. As they move it past, Azlyn notices that it still has some of Telary's blood on it.

"Ironically enough," the mage sighs, scratching at his forehead where he'd gotten hit, "I'd always really admired the stonework on those columns."

"Besides," Daisy chimes in, approaching the group with Chip and Dale by her side, "it'll be nice to have some decorating work to focus on. A nice little pet project while Donald is… away."

Minnie places a sympathetic hand on her maiden's shoulder. At the very least, they have each other to console during their long wait to reunite with their loved ones.

"Speaking of pet projects," Dale announces all of the sudden, "have you two seen Pluto around anywhere? Ever since the night you left, we haven't found hide or tail of him anywhere in the castle."

Telary and Azlyn share a small look, wide-eyed and uncertain.

"Nope," Azlyn says quickly, scratching her elbow absentmindedly.

"Haven't seen him," Telary confirms, brushing nervously at his nose.

Sora doubles over laughing, clutching at his knees to stay on balance.

**KH-KH-KH**

"What's with those two?" Riku asks his suddenly very gracious host, who only minutes before released him from his own cell. He's never seen a duck that big or a dog standing on two legs, but then again he'd never seen a green skinned lady before he'd left the islands either. To him, seeing new kinds of people is just another appealing aspect of leaving his childhood home behind. Certainly the being locked in a cell part hadn't been terribly nice, but it seems that's all over now.

"Oh, pay them no mind, my dear boy," Maleficent assures him, smiling at him, then turning and fixing the creatures in the cell with a cruel sneer. "They are naught but minor annoyances. You shan't have to see them ever again."

She puts a hand on his shoulder and guides him to the staircase and elevator beyond, but he shrugs it off before starting his climb.

The main part of the castle apparently isn't any brighter than the dungeon, the only illumination provided by dim green flame candles and the occasional hole in the architecture letting sunlight filter in.

Maleficent leads him to a large circular room. Above him, gargoyles with the faces of perturbed hawks peer down at him, green flames flickering in each of their open mouths. She takes him to the low stone table in the center of the room, and they stop.

"Why don't you tell me what's going on!" Riku demands, slamming a fist on the table. "First you lock me up in your dungeon, keep me there for I don't even know how long, and now all of a sudden you're just letting me go. Why?"

Maleficent sighs, turning away and ducking her head. "I am truly sorry about your imprisonment, dear Riku. I never wanted to keep you caged like some animal, but my cohorts, well, they insisted. We are, after all, in the midst of some very delicate proceedings, the slightest upset of which could prove quite disastrous." She turns back to him, a little smile playing across her lips. "I must say though, you held up exceptionally well under your duress. Not many children would have…"

"I'm not a child!" Riku barks, his fist once again pounding against the stone in front of him. "I'm almost eighteen!"

His host moves a bit closer, her smile widening. "Well, I hadn't the slightest idea. Almost eighteen, nearly a man! In fact, I could see many uses for one such as you in my plans…"

"Look, lady," Riku shoots back, taking a few steps away from the green-skinned woman, "I don't know what kind of 'mission' you and your buddies are on, but don't think I'll just jump up and help you out. I've got friends to go see."

"If you feel so strongly, then of course you are under no obligation to stay," Maleficent assures the young man, brushing a bit of dust off the glowing green head of her staff. "And perhaps my goals are incompatible with yours besides. After all, it would require so much traveling, visiting so many different worlds. I suppose that wouldn't be anything you'd be interested in, dear boy."

Riku stops moving away from Maleficent, interest suddenly piqued. Biting his lip, he says, "Okay look, I'm not saying that I'm going to join up on your 'mission' or whatever, but if I hypothetically was interested… What exactly would you tell me about it?"

Maleficent smirks and places a bony hand on the boy's shoulder. This time, he neither recoils nor moves to brush it off.

"Why, my good man," the mistress of all evil practically croons, "whatever might it be you would want to know?"

Back in the dungeon, its newest occupants scream in defiance and abject terror as the candles go out one by one, leaving them alone in the pitch black.

**KH-KH-KH**

"So that's why we kept veering left," Telary says through the video link with Chip and Dale, screwing a bolt a bit tighter on the control yoke. "I thought something was going on with my wrist."

"You'll have to keep checking on it every once in a while, of course," Chip reminds him, "but as long as you do, I don' think you'll have any more problems."

"Thanks for the heads up guys," the mage says, nodding and leaning back in the pilot's chair. "Are you sure there's no hard feelings about crashing your ship?"

"From what you told us, it sounded like it was mostly Azlyn's fault," Chip says with a shrug.

"And we already don't like her!" Dale adds with a chuckle. Telary titters a bit at the joke as well.

"And you've got nothing on those weird Gummi blocks we found?"

"Nothing in the archives to give us a clue, or the king's notes from the original design schematics," Dale sighs. "Sorry we couldn't help, Telary."

"It's no big deal," Telary assures the pair. "I think our friend Leon in Traverse Town might have a clue about it, and since it's on our way, I figured we'd stop and check up on things anyway. Thanks again."

"If you need anything else, we're just a few buttons away!" Chip reminds him with a wink. The engineer presses down on a button on his console, and the image of him and his brother winks out.

"I knew it," Azlyn's voice says from the entrance to the cockpit, startling Telary and nearly sending the young man leaping out of his chair. He looks back to find his companion, a consternated glint in her eye. "I knew those chipmunks hated me!"

"Only because they've met you," the mage jokes, grinning slyly at his friend. She makes a face at him in response, moving to stand behind his chair.

"Can you believe it?" she says after a minute, all smirking and light eyes. "We actually pulled it off! We cheated the system and got rewarded for it!"

"I think," Telary protests, though gently, "we just got extremely lucky. And frankly, if I had a chance to go back and do it all over again…"

"Don't talk like that Telary!" the knight admonishes, lightly swatting his shoulder. "Think of what we've accomplished, what we've got now. Not to mention meeting Sora! This is a good thing, Tel, I promise!"

"It could have just as easily not been, though," the mage shoots back, getting up from his chair and taking several steps away from Azlyn. "We could have died, or gotten punished, or any number of things! I agree that this is the best possible outcome, but I swear Azlyn, if was back in the moment you asked me to join in on your dumb plan, I would have slammed the door in your face!"

"Actually," Azlyn says, sheepishly, ducking her head to hide the redness of her blushing cheeks, "I think that's pretty fair."

Telary's ranting posture kind of deflates at that, and after a few seconds, he begins to laugh exuberantly, so loud and contagious that Azlyn joins in after a few moments.

They're still laughing as Sora ascends the ladder. "What are you two laughing about?" The question only causes further outbursts.

"We'll tell you later," Azlyn assures the boy.

"Thanks again, Sora, for sticking up for us like that," Telary says as he and the Keybearer walk to their seats. "I know you didn't have to, considering the way we lied to you."

"Well, what're friends for?" Sora replies with a grin and a friendly clap of Telary's shoulder.

"This is Control to Gummi 2," Chip's voice chimes in from over the radio. "Everything's all set up on our end, you can launch when you feel ready."

"And good luck to you," Queen Minnie adds.

"Thanks, Control. Be ready in a minute." Telary busily begins activating launch procedures, but about halfway through he notices that Sora is still standing by his chair. "Sora, you might want to strap in now." The younger boy shoots a quick glance to his chair, but doesn't make a move for it. "Um, Sora…"

"Well, okay," the Keyblade wielder begins, looking at Telary with puppy dog wide eyes, "it's just that, y'know how we just agreed we're friends? Right." He bites his lip, and his eyes turn less pleading and more mischievous. "Well, Telary, do you know what friends do for friends?"

"Uh, no," Telary stutters, already sensing that he's not going to be thrilled with the answer to Sora's rhetorical question. "What do friends do for friends?"

"They let them drive their rocketship."

Telary hears the _click_ of Azlyn securing her seat belt not half a second later.

**KH-KH-KH**

Everyone in the control booth winces as the Gummi ship once again falls through the emergency exit.

"Is everything okay, guys?" Chip inquiries into the mike. "What went wrong?"

"Um, yeah, we're all fine, Control," Telary replies, though his voice sounds a bit worse for wear. "I was letting Sora try his hand at flying, and now… Azlyn, don't touch him, you… Azlyn! If you can't get a hold of yourself, I swear… Sora, please do not provoke her like that, you know it just… Urgh!"

After a few seconds of radio silence, Chip calls back. "Telary?"

"Everything's fine, things are calming down now." There's a fuzzy loud noise over the line for a second, but it fades in no time at all. "We're taking off for real this time. See you soon!"

Dale watches the radar monitor until he sees that the Gummi ship has successfully made it into open space. As soon as that's confirmed, Minnie and Daisy take their leave.

"I don't want to sound like I'm questioning your judgement here, Your Majesty," Lady Daisy says after a few minutes of strolling, "but are you certain that letting Azlyn and Telary out like this was the wisest idea? I mean, they're just children after all."

"I have confidence in them, Daisy," the queen assures her, patting her hand affectionately. She pauses then, looking around to make sure the pair are alone. "Besides, I think that things may work out better than we had hoped."

"What do you mean?"

"Well," Minnie explains, her hands clasped in front of her, "I was talking with Sora before he boarded the ship, trying to get to know him a little bit. Besides talking about how much Azlyn and Telary had helped him since he lost his world, he mentioned two friends he was searching for, whom he'd been separated from after his island was attacked."

"Yes, and?"

"His friends names were Riku…" the queen pauses for dramatic effect, "and Kairi."

At the mention of that name, Daisy's eyebrows go flying to the top of her head, her mouth dropping open.

"Are you certain that's what he said?" she asks the queen, forgetting her place momentarily and actually reaching out to shake the queen's arm. "It's been years since we've…"

"I know, Daisy, I know," the queen assures her feathered friend. "But I imagine that he's been talking about her to them quite a bit, and so far it seems that Merlin's spell is holding. But I doubt it will last forever, and even so… they deserve to know the truth."

Minnie looks up at the stars above, imagining Sora, Azlyn, and Telary, as well as her husband, somewhere out there, flying amongst the stars. Her heart sends up a silent prayer, hoping against hope that it will be answered.


	15. The Wizard Of Traverse Town

"…Sweet, sweet land!" Azlyn cries out in pure ecstasy, purposefully falling to the ground in Traverse Town's 1st District and caressing the cobblestones lovingly. "It feels like it's been years! Decades! A lifetime!"

"Would you cut it out?" Sora barks sharply, arms crossed and eyes glaring at his melodramatic companion. "It wasn't that bad, y'know. We got here in one piece, didn't we?"

"You hit a freakin' meteor!" Azlyn shoots back, picking herself up and dusting off her clothes. They're new, even though they look identical to the outfit she'd worn since escaping Disney Castle. Just another perk of actually being on an officially sanctioned mission.

"Technically, if it was just floating around in space, it was an asteroid," Telary corrects quietly, breaking the promise he's made to himself about getting involved in this argument.

"Whatever, we still hit it."

"Hey, Telary," Sora demands, "could you please just tell her that it could have happened to anybody. I mean, it was my first time flying."

Telary nods weakly.

The discussion is thankfully broken up by the approach of Yuffie, almost bouncing across the plaza and nearly knocking over a young man carrying a bag of groceries.

"Hey, guys!" the self-proclaimed great ninja greets the trio with a smile and a little wave. "It's nice to see you three back in town."

"Been quiet around here, huh?" Azlyn asks with a raised eyebrow.

"I wish," the girl sighs, shaking her head and looking wistfully up at the sky. "But if anything, stuff's gotten worse lately. Lots of Heartless around. Some have even gotten into 1st District. It's been a ton of work!"

"Sounds tough," Sora says sympathetically. "Now that we're back, we'll do what we can to help out."

"We need to see Leon, though," Telary interjects, frowning at the thought of a sudden mass incursion of Heartless. "We've got some questions for him."

"Well, he's probably training," Yuffie answers, going into a handstand apparently out of sheer boredom. "There's a cavern off the alley in 2nd District where he goes sometimes, swings his sword around. I'm not allowed though, apparently I throw off his 'mojo' or something." She springs back into a flawless backflip, landing on both feet easily. "Can you believe that? _Me_, distracting!"

"Yeah," Azlyn mutters crossly. "What a thing to say."

Yuffie's directions bring them to the alley easily enough. Sora recognizes it as where he and Leon had fought the Heartless just after he'd learned about the Keyblade. In an odd way, it seems like that was a lifetime ago.

"Oh, please," Azlyn grumbles as she spies the ankle deep water deposit leading down into the dark cavern Yuffie had directed them too. "These shoes are new!"

"Aren't you on an official mission for Disney Castle, Azlyn?" Sora teases, jumping straight into the waterway and splashing liquid all around. Azlyn squeaks as a few drops hit her. "I thought you wouldn't let anything stop you?"

Azlyn scowls and grits her teeth, stepping into the water with defiance in her green eyes. Sora's still grinning mockingly, so she gives him a shove and sends him sprawling into the water, not even looking as she trudges through the water into the tunnel. Sora doesn't mind, so used to growing up around water that wet clothes do nothing to faze him.

Telary offers a helping hand, and the Keybearer takes it, still grinning ear to ear. "Sorry about that. Though I'd think by now you'd know not to provoke her."

"It's fun actually," Sora replies cheerfully as the pair make their way into the cavern after the knight. "Since you two don't need to act like you're grownups anymore, it's almost like I'm back on my island with my friends, just playing around."

"Except now you've got a giant key and a mission to destroy evil shadow creatures," Telary points out.

"Except that, yeah."

They meet up with Azlyn, who had stopped to wait for them once she'd noticed they hadn't followed right behind, then proceed into the cavern.

It's small, barely even bigger than the cockpit of the Gummi ship. Further in, the water level recedes to about a third of an inch high, covering the green stone below. Leon stands in the middle of it, swinging his sword in an almost rhythmic manner, occasionally raising it into blocking position. His leather jacket is lying by the wayside, leaving him in only his dark jeans and white t-shirt, the silver lion's head pendant of his necklace bouncing against his chest.

Azlyn licks her lips, seemingly on instinct.

He doesn't notice the trio's approach, or perhaps he does and just doesn't care, but Aerith, who has been sitting watching Leon's process, rises with a huge smile and goes to them, arms spread wide to envelop all three in a tight hug.

"It's so good to see you all back!" she basically croons, closing her eyes and taking it all in. After a few seconds, she lets go and backs up, still grinning ear to ear.

"Yeah," Leon says simply, stopping his routine and hoisting the gunblade onto his shoulder. "Nice to know you three are surviving out there in the big bad universe."

"Well, it hasn't exactly been easy," Sora admits, rubbing the back of his neck. "And we've got a lot of questions, but we should start at the beginning…"

So Sora, Azlyn, and Telary tell Leon and Aerith all about their travels, talking over each other at several points, and sidestepping the issue of Azlyn and Telary's lies entirely.

"…And then the Keyblade just, I dunno, reacted," Sora says with a wave of his hands, describing his experience with the doorknob and underground tree. "It shot out this beam of light, right into the hole, and then there was this clicking noise. Do you know what happened?"

"Well," Leon says, back to swinging his sword for practice, "it sounds to me like you've found some Keyholes, Sora."

"Keyholes?" Azlyn asks, bewildered. "Why does it sound like you're saying that with a capital 'K'?"

"Every world has a Keyhole," Aerith explains, taking a sip of water. "They lead to the world's heart. Ansem's report has a whole chapter on it, supposedly."

"The world's heart?" Telary asks incredulously. "I assume you're being metaphorical here."

"Yeah," Leon answers, driving his gunblade blade first into the stone and leaving it sticking there. "Basically, if what we've heard is true, a world's heart is its energy core. It's what keeps it held together. And a Keyhole is how it's accessed. How the Heartless get into it."

"From there, they can corrupt it," Aerith picks up, folding her hands and peering seriously at the group. "They infect it with darkness and, very soon after…"

"The world disappears," Leon finishes, his voice hard.

"Disappears how?" Azlyn inquires.

Leon shrugs. "Nobody knows. Well, Ansem might have, but without his report… There's just no way we can be sure."

"Is that what happened to my island?" Sora demands, standing up, his eyes narrowing, his finger jabbing out accusingly. "You said you didn't know."

"Well, technically…" Leon begins, but he cuts himself off with a sigh. "I wasn't sure you were ready to handle it. I needed you focused so you could take on the Heartless attacking the town."

"The true mission of the Keyblade master, as far as we can tell," Aerith explains, "is to go to the worlds and seal their Keyholes. That way the Heartless can't get in to corrupt the core. As soon as their hope of that happening is gone, they usually disappear from a world entirely."

"So I really do have to save every world in the universe," Sora sighs, leaning back on his hands. "Wow. And I was just planning on finding my friends." He stands and walks away from the seated group, arms folded in close to his chest. "I don't know if I can handle all that. I mean, I'm just a kid!"

"Maybe that's true," Telary says, moving to Sora's side and placing a sympathetic hand on his shoulder. "But you're a kid the Keyblade chose to use it, aren't you? If the most powerful weapon in the universe thinks you can handle the Heartless, why should you doubt it?"

"Not to mention," Azlyn adds with a grin, standing up herself, "you've got the absolute best backup in the universe!" Frowning, she adds, "Not that you should think of me as your sidekick or anything."

"Plus, like you said," Telary points out, "we've already got to check the worlds for signs of your friends, the king, and Donald and Goofy. Might as well save the universe while we're at it, huh?"

Sora grins at his companions, happy to have their support and confidence. "Yeah, okay. I guess it can only help to try, eh?"

"Now you're talking!" Azlyn giggles, punctuating it with an actually pretty painful slap to Sora's shoulder.

"Oh, before I forget," Telary says, reaching back into his pocket and producing the strange Gummi blocks, "Leon, do you have any idea about these? They appeared after Sora sealed the Keyholes. We know they're Gummi blocks, but beyond that, we've got nothing."

Leon takes one of the blocks and examines it closely. After a minute, he shakes his head. Aerith does likewise.

"Sorry, I have nothing to tell you," he admits with a shrug and a sigh. "I'm not really an expert on Gummi ships, but maybe Cid knows something. It would probably be best to check with him."

"We will," Sora says, handing the blocks back to Telary. "Thanks for all the help, guys."

"It's our pleasure," Aerith says with a little curtsy. "We want to assist you in any way we can."

"Speaking of," Leon adds, pulling his sword from the ground and starting up his practice swings again, "we're going to have a little meeting a couple of hours from now in a house in 3rd District. We'd like it if you'd come."

"Sure thing Leon," Sora confirms, taking the piece of paper with the address on it that Aerith hands him and stuffing it in his pocket. "We'll see you then. And thanks again for telling us about the Keyholes and stuff."

Sora waits until they've reached the alley once again to speak to his travelling companions.

"Man, can you believe it?" he says incredulously, sitting down at the edge of the small water reserve. "Me, some kind of savior of the universe. Yikes."

"Hey, c'mon Sora," Azlyn says seriously, placing a hand on his shoulder. "It's like we said: If the Keyblade chose you, then there must be a good reason, alright? And you do have us helping out, remember?"

"Yeah," the Keybearer laughs lightly, "I guess I do." His tone becomes almost sarcastic. "You guys really are the only help I need."

The trio laugh and go on about their way, happy to have each other.

Not everyone in the alley is happy, however. Certainly not the boy watching from the shadows, scowling viciously at what he'd just been witness to.

**KH-KH-KH**

Telary nearly collapses as Azlyn and Sora throw the doors to the Accessory Shop closed, breathing heavily but happy to escape the Heartless that the trio have been battling ever since they left the alley.

"Things are pretty bad out there, eh?" Cid drawls, absentmindedly wiping down some merchandise with a wet rag.

"Terrible," Sora answers, dropping onto shop's couch like his legs have left him no other choice.

"It ain't bad fer business, though," Cid admits, picking up a new item to rub down. "If people can't leave 1st District…."

"Hey, that's not a bad business plan," Azlyn says almost admiringly. Telary and Sora both give her looks that scream '_really'?_ "What? I was just admiring… Just show him the blocks, Tel!"

Telary produces the mysterious Gummis and approaches the counter.

"Well, whaddya know?" Cid exclaims, setting his cleaned item down on the counter. "Ain't every day a couple a kids waltz in with both halves of a navigation Gummi."

"Navigation Gummi?" Telary asks, handing the blocks over to Cid.

With a grunt, the old man squeezes the block's smooth sides together until they lock together, forming a single block shaped like the head of an arrow.

"What does it do?" Sora asks.

"Huh?" Cid sounds almost disbelieving. "Yer tellin' me that you've been crusin' yer Gummi ship all 'round the universe and you ain't got any idea what a navigation Gummi is?"

The trio all look around at each other, shrugging.

"Heh, kids these days, I tell ya…"

"Would you just tell us about the damn block?" Azlyn demands tersely. "What does it do?"

"Alright kid," Cid relents, raising a hand defeatedly. "I was just given' ya a hard time, is all. Basically, a navigation Gummi allows yer ship to detect paths to new worlds y'ain't seen yet. Opens up routes ya couldn't find before." The group looks impressed, so Cid presses on. "If ya want, I could synch your ship's computer with it. You'd have a new path opened up in no time."

"Thanks, Cid," Telary says earnestly. "We appreciate the favor."

"Favor, eh?" the shopkeeper chuckles, scratching his chin thoughtfully. "Well, if it's favors we're exchangin', maybe ya wouldn't mind doing a little sumthin' fer me, eh?"

"Uh, sure."

"Great," Cid says, reaching behind the counter and producing a small book, white with red around the edges of the cover. "This old guy I know asked me to fix up this book fer him 'bout a week ago, and I finally finished. Would ya kids mind deliverin' it to him? He lives in a house in 3rd District, past the plaza. Look for the door with a flame on it."

"Okay, Cid," Sora agrees, reaching out and grabbing the book. "But with the Heartless all roaming around 2nd District…"

"Well, there's a shortcut from 1st District to 3rd, just past the ice cream shop," Cid provides with a smile. "Should cut down yer travel time quite a bit, and maybe ya can avoid the Heartless that way."

"Thanks for the info," Azlyn says, already moving towards the door. "We'll…"

Suddenly the knight is interrupted by a loud noise, a series of heavy _bong_s ringing out across the city. For about thirty seconds everyone just stops and lets the noise wash over them.

"What was that?" Azlyn inquires after the sound has faded, digging in her ear with a pinky.

"Town bell," Cid explains, crunching on his ever-present toothpick. "It's mounted up on the roof of the Gizmo Shop in 2nd District. Big white building, looks kinda like a church."

The trio moves to depart again, but Cid stops them.

"Hey, kids. Leon's setting up…"

"A meeting in 3rd District," Sora finishes. "We know. We'll be there soon as we drop off your book, okay?"

Cid nods. "See ya there then. 'Bout an hour."

Half an hour later, Sora, Azlyn, and Telary are all hopelessly lost in 3rd District, unable to locate the fire-door that Cid said to look out for. They've ventured beyond the plaza they'd first met in, and are now more or less wandering the streets.

"We're gonna be late to the meeting," Sora says before crunching down on the last remains of his ice cream cone.

"No we aren't!" Azlyn proclaims, punching her fist triumphantly in the air and leading her companions down a recessed stairwell. At the bottom is a plain wooden door, a red-tinted flame carved into it.

"Good work, Azlyn," Telary congratulates, reaching for the door's handle. Except that the door doesn't actually have a handle. "Um, okay…"

"No handle?" Sora marvels, looking over things from the top of the stairs. Light flashes in his hands, and when it fades, the Keyblade has appeared. "Maybe I can crack it."

Telary moves aside to let the Keybearer handle it. Sora taps the door with the Keyblade, but nothing happens. "Huh."

"Wait a second!" Telary exclaims, knocking Sora aside in his exuberance. "It's so simple. We just have to use a fire spell!"

"Cool," Sora says, moving aside. "Go ahead, Telary."

Telary scratches his chin, then turns back to Sora. "Actually, maybe you should do the honors, Sora. I've explained the basic principles of fire spells to you before. Let' see what you know."

Azlyn immediately jumps behind a few barrels and crates piled up on the street, taking cover.

"Very funny, Azlyn," Sora retorts, glaring at his friend's hideout. "I've got this handled, just wait and see!"

"That's right," Telary says encouragingly, even as he's slowly backing up the stairwell. "You can do it Sora! I believe in you…"

Sora frowns, but shrugs off his lack of support and thrusts the Keyblade out, running through the mental techniques Telary had taught him during downtime on the Gummi ship.

"Fire!" he yells, and a fireball about the size of his fist flies from the Keyblade and strikes the flame symbol carved into the door dead-center, lighting it up with a warm red glow.

Sora, however, is not ready for the kickback the ball of fire creates, hurtling back a few feet through the air and landing in a heap on the stairs. Telary cries out and rushes forward, while behind him Azlyn emerges from her hiding spot, laughing madly.

"My fault, my fault," Telary apologizes, whipping out his staff and raising it into the air. "Cure! Sorry, sorry. I should have warned you about the kickback." Sora fixes him with a glare through the green aura surrounding his body. "But, hey, this is why we practice, right? To learn new things. Often what _not _to do in a given situation."

Sora groans as he rises, and Telary isn't sure whether he's agreeing or not.

"It didn't open, though," Azlyn complains, stepping past Sora ungracefully, sending him sprawling back to the concrete. She taps on the door, but nothing happens. Turning back to her companion, she leans against it, her head touching the flame symbol. "What did you do wrONG!?"

At Azlyn's touch to the symbol, the door whips back, leaving the knight with nothing to lean against and sending her falling to the rocky ground.

"Y'know," Sora says cheerfully to Telary, stepping over Azlyn's prone form, "I think I'm feeling better now."

Azlyn mumbles something graphic and impolite.

The trio finds themselves in a large stone cavern, open to the starry sky above. In the middle sits a two story house, a tower jutting off of the second floor. It looks vacant, like no one has set foot in it for years.

"Well this is…" Telary begins, trying to suppress the shivers in his spine. "Quaint."

"I was gonna say creepy," Sora states, frowning even as he steps closer.

"I'd go with creepy too," Azlyn agrees, catching up with her friends. "I mean, nobody normal is gonna live in a secluded cavern guarded by a fire spell door."

The interior of the house is little better, a small foyer devoid of furniture, spider webs in every corner. A cloud of dust flies up as Sora shuts the door.

"Hello!" the Keybearer calls. There's no answer from either the door at the end of the hall, or from up the spiraling staircase leading to the second floor. "We're here about your book!" He turns back to his companions. "I don't think anyone's home."

"Should we go?" Telary asks even as Azlyn shoulders her way past him and towards the staircase.

"Let's at least check it out," she declares, stopping and turning back. "C'mon. Sora, you check down here, and me and Tel will check upstairs." Off her friends' nervous looks, she continues. "We've got to at least see, guys. I mean, Cid wouldn't just send us out on a wild goose chase, would he?"

"I suppose not," Telary accedes, trudging after her up the stairs. "If we don't find anything, Sora, we'll come back down. If we do…"

"Telary'll probably scream," Azlyn snorts wryly. "You scream too, if anything happens."

Sora moves slowly down the hall, eyes darting back and forth as he makes his way to the door. There's something seriously odd about this place, an almost physical sensation pressing up against him…

He opens the door at the end of the hall, and nearly walks into Kairi.

Sora's mouth drops open, and Kairi just giggles and starts to pace around the room, bare except for a large stone platform in the middle.

"This place kind of reminds of home," she says wistfully, spinning as she walks to take everything in. "The Secret Place, y'know? We used to spend hours just drawing on the walls there." She stops and stares straight at the still gape-mouthed Sora, her trademark cheeky grin seeming to brighten the whole room. "Do you remember those portraits we did of each other, when we were like seven? I went back and looked at them a bunch of times. Oh man, yours was really bad. I didn't say anything though, 'cause it was sweet all the same, in a clumsy kind of way." She steps forward, her grin softening. "That's so like you, y'know? Sweet, but clumsy."

Finally, Sora finds his voice, focusing on the memory of Kairi kissing his cheek the night the islands had been consigned to the darkness of the Heartless.

"I always thought something was missing from that picture," he tells her, stepping forward. They're close enough to touch now, but she doesn't and he daren't. "I went back, added it in. The day things went bad. I was looking for your mushroom, and…"

"And what?" she asks, tilting her head. "What did you add?"

"I…"

"Who are you talking to Sora?" Telary's voice pierces Sora's Kairi-induced reverie.

Startled, Sora turns back to the mage. He's standing in the doorway, Azlyn behind him.

"I was…" he waves his arm at Kairi, but feels nothing. He turns his head and finds only empty air. Kairi is gone, and something in Sora's heart aches dully. "Just myself. Trying to keep this place from getting to me."

Azlyn snorts. "I hear that." She pushes past Telary, who's frowning at nothing.

"I swore I heard another voice," the mage mutters, crossing his arms and thinking hard.

"Nope, just me," Sora denies with a nervous giggle. When it peters out, he grimaces. "Nobody else."

"Well, there wasn't anything upstairs," Azlyn sighs, taking a seat on the stone platform. "If anybody lives in this house, we didn't find 'em. Just a big empty room, dusty old carpet."

"It's weird," Telary adds, dismissing his earlier notion about hearing voices. "And I'm judging that by our very high standard of weird." He sighs and takes a seat next to Azlyn. "I don't know why Cid would send us here. It's like nobody's lived here in years."

"Well, I should think everyone's entitled to a little vacation," a heavily accented voice interjects from the doorway.

Weapons appear in hands instantly, the entire trio ready to face down the intruder.

The man in question just stands in the doorway with a shocked look on his face, eyes wide behind his wire-rim spectacles. He's wearing a blue robe with voluminous sleeves, pointed blue shoes on his feet. In one hand he holds a large carpetbag, in the other a long stick. The most notable features on him, though, are a large blue conical hat, drooping slightly at the end, and a flowing white beard reaching almost down to the floor.

"Feel free to lower your weapons, lads," the man says calmly, dropping his bag and stick to the floor. "I mean no harm. And besides, this is my house!"

"Prove it…" Azlyn dares, arm primed to hurl her shield.

"Well, for one thing," he chuckles, flicking the carpet bag open with one hand, "I've all the furniture. Higitus Figitus!" With an enthusiastic flick of his hand, the man summons forth a bright light from his bag, enveloping the whole room.

When the light clears, the space is considerably better decorated. A white clothed table sits atop the stone platform, a bed lies against one wall, a bureau next to it, and an honest to God fireplace appears in the corner, already blazing warm. Not to mention all the books scattered haphazardly around, some lying alone and others in stacks as tall as Azlyn.

Telary nearly faints at the display of such powerful transfiguration magic. If he studied for years, he's not sure he could pull it off. Clearly this man knows what he's doing, thaumaturgically speaking.

"If I may introduce myself," the man announces, bowing so low his beard piles up on the ground and his hat nearly falls off, "my name is Merlin, and I'm a wizard!" He rises, a huge grin plastered across his face. "And I presume by the way you're waving it about like Errol Flynn, you are the Keybearer!"

"Uh yeah," Sora confirms, lowering the Keyblade. "Who's Errol Flynn?"

"Oh, no one you'd know about," Merlin chuckles. "Regardless, if you're the Keyblade wielder, then I'm here on a mission from King Mickey of Disney Castle himself." He looks at Azlyn and Telary with an air of concern. "Though I was expecting that Master Donald and Captain Goofy would be along with you…"

"They, uh, couldn't make it," Telary says lowly, staring dejectedly at the floor.

"I'm Azlyn," Azlyn introduces herself, placing her shield into its holder. "This is Telary. We're on this mission in their stead."

"Azlyn and Telary, hm…" Merlin mutters, scratching his beard. "Yes, I think I do recognize the names…"

"Really? Have you ever visited the castle?" Telary asks. "Maybe you'd have met us there. But, being honest, I can't say I remember you."

"Me neither," Azlyn agrees.

Merlin's eyes widen for a second, then return to normal. "No," the sorcerer chuckles lowly, "no I don't think you would…"

"So you said you're here on a mission?" Sora asks, breaking the brief silence that followed Merlin's last statement. "What kind of mission?"

"Why, I'm here to instruct you in the art of magic, of course!" Merlin answers, his wand leaping off the floor into his open hand. "The king was very concerned about your abilities in that area."

"Oh. Well, Telary's taught me some stuff…"

"Splendid!" Merlin grins at Telary, then Sora. "It's always good to have a nice, solid base to start with, I find."

Azlyn snorts. "Yeah, solid." This earns her a light kick in the shin from Sora. He grins at her, but as soon as he turns away he gets a smack on the arm.

"Guys!" Telary hisses at the antics. "We're in front of a great wizard here. A little decorum wouldn't hurt!"

"Sorry," Sora apologizes. Azlyn sniffs disdainfully. "Oh! We have your book. The one Cid fixed up! Telary!"

"Oh, yes!" Telary produces the book and hands it to Merlin, who gives it a once over.

"Well, I suppose he did the best he could, given the circumstances," he mutters, opening the book and flipping through pages.

"What's wrong?" Azlyn asks. "If you want a refund, it's no trouble for us to convince that old bag to…"

"No, no, it's quite alright," Merlin says, waving his hand dismissively. "He really did the best he could, given the circumstances. You know, I'm really not even sure where I found this book. Apparently it just popped up in my bag one day. It seemed odd, but special somehow… Anyway, it was in quite a state of disrepair, so I asked Cid to fix it up. There were pages missing though, so…"

The Traverse Town bell rings out loudly once again, shaking everything in the small room and jogging Sora's memory.

"Oh man!" he exclaims. "We told Cid we'd meet him and Leon and the others! We're late, actually…"

"Well, if you must go, you must go," Merlin accedes easily, setting the book down on the shelf by his bed. "I'll be here whenever you want to get in some magic training, alright my boy?"

"Thanks, Mr. Merlin," Sora says, shaking the magician's hand. "We'll stop by when we can. I'd like to look at that book, if you don't mind."

"And I'd love some pointers," Telary adds, pushing Sora out of the way and pumping Merlin's arm vigorously. "Even if I could just read one of your books on magic…"

"Here," Merlin says cheerfully, wrenching his arm out of the younger mage's grip. He grabs a small blue book and places it in the lad's hand. "Lots of useful magic in there."

Telary just squeaks his thanks, unable to form words in his excited state.

"Nice meeting you, I guess," Azlyn says with a shrug, clearly not impressed by the wizard.

"And good to see you as well, my boy."

Azlyn scowls. "I'm a girl."

Merlin frowns at her, but after a second he nods slightly, ignoring Sora's outburst of raucous laughter. "Ah. So you are."

**KH-KH-KH**

"The nerve of that old coot!" Azlyn rages as the trio make their way back to the 3rd District plaza. "I mean, I'm wearing a skirt for cripes sake!"

Sora is still intermittently giggling about the old wizard's mistake.

"He was a bit… eccentric, I'll admit," Telary says, nodding. "But he seemed to know what he was doing." He gestures to the book he's already read several pages of during the trio's walk down the street. "There's a bunch of cool stuff in here. It's a little advanced for you, Sora, but I think I can use it."

"He was cool," Sora agrees, shrugging. "And it's also nice to think that the king wants me to learn magic!" He frowns a bit, thinking of his not-encounter with Kairi. "His place was weird though. I kept getting this weird… I dunno, vibe I guess."

"Ambient magic, I'd figure," Telary says absently, flipping to a new page in his book.

"What?"

"Ambient magic, probably," Telary answers, looking up for a moment. "If a little place like that is exposed to enough magic over time, it can retain some of it, kind of like background radiation. Usually it causes weirdness. That's probably why I thought I'd met him before, or why I heard a voice talking to you."

Sora mulls over the idea of ambient magic a bit as he walks. That could explain his odd waking dream, but somehow he doubts it does. He could _feel_ Kairi in that room, plain as if she had actually been right in front of him. Still, it's the only explanation he's got.

They're walking down the alley leading to the plaza, none of them really paying attention to what they're doing. That's how they manage to miss the Soldier Heartless that appears, until it actually leaps at them.

Sora notices first, crying out and stumbling back into the still reading Telary, knocking him to the ground and sending his book flying through the air. It grazes Azlyn's face and knocks her back several steps.

Sora lands hard and looks up at the creature, too startled to get his thoughts together and summon the Keyblade to counterattack.

Luckily, he doesn't have to.

A sharp noise cuts through the air, and a moment later the Soldier is gone, dissipating in a burst of darkness.

In his place is someone who causes Sora's mouth to drop open in surprise.

Standing over him, a purple and red sword shaped like a bat's wing propped up against his shoulder, looking confident as ever, is Riku.

"Well, well, well," Sora's best friend chuckles sardonically. "Look who still needs my help to survive!"


	16. Ringing It In

Sora is so overjoyed by the sight of his friend that he leaps without looking, crashing into Riku and wrapping the older boy in a bear hug forceful enough to send both of them sprawling to the ground.

"What…?" Riku cries out in shock, interrupted by Sora's inquisitive fingers rubbing all over his face, making sure that he isn't being fooled by some illusion this time around. "Would you mind…?"

"It _is_ you!" Sora exclaims, falling back into another hug. Riku just grins at the boy's antics.

"Gee," Azlyn whispers to Telary conspiratorially. "And here all this time I thought it was _Kairi _he had a thing for."

"I can't believe it's you," Sora says, climbing off his friend and giving him a helping hand up. "Really you!"

"Who else would I be?" Riku rolls his eyes. It seems Sora hasn't changed one bit.

"Do you know where Kairi is? I thought she might be with you."

"No, she's not." Riku rubs the back of his neck. "Truth be told, I was hoping she was with _you_. No luck on that score, I guess." He grins and walks backwards into the center of the plaza, gesturing all around him. "Can you believe it? We actually pulled it off. We're in another world! We dreamed about it for so long, and now it's finally happened. We're off those islands."

Riku's so caught up in his victorious monologue that he doesn't even notice the Shadow emerge from the ground behind him, and neither do Sora, Azlyn, or Telary.

"As for finding Kairi, you don't have to worry about it," Riku says, even as the Shadow creeps steadily closer. "You can just leaving everything to me, okay? I've met somebody, somebody who…"

A loud noise cuts Riku off. Startled, he turns to see Sora, crouched in battle position, the last remnants of the Shadow's captive heart floating away. Grinning like a crocodile, Sora turns to Riku and hikes the Keyblade up onto his shoulder.

"Who should I leave it to again?" Sora teases, winking.

Riku looks totally awed, his eyes fixed on the Keyblade. "How did you…? Sora, what is that thing? What is going on with you?"

"I've been looking for you and Kairi," the Keybearer explains, a bit smugly. "Me and my new friends have been traveling to a bunch of worlds, trying to find you two. Riku, you won't believe the kinds of things I've seen, the places I've been." He gestures to Azlyn and Telary. "They have this rocket that…"

"Who _are _they?" Riku inquires, and Azlyn notes something disdainful in both his tone and the once over he's giving the Disney Castle pair.

"Hello!" Telary declares proudly, stepping forward. "My name is…"

"Their king sent them to find me!" Sora interrupts, leaving Telary gape-mouthed and miffed. "Kinda, anyway. Can you believe it, a king is interested in me!"

"What would a king want with you?" Riku asks with a frown, and though Sora is still too excited to notice his tone, Azlyn isn't, a frown of her own appearing on her face.

"Well," Telary interjects, placing a hand on Sora's shoulder, "Sora is the Keyblade master. It's his destiny to defeat the Heartless, the creatures who attacked your island. The Keyblade itself chose Sora to wield it."

Riku raises an eyebrow.

"It's alright to be shocked," Azlyn snorts, her arms crossed in front of her chest. "I know _I _was when I first heard…"

"Whaddya mean by that, huh?" Sora demands, whirling on his companion, who only sneers at him in return.

"Well, I was just saying, I…"

"Wow!" Telary interrupts suddenly.

Confused, Sora turns to the mage, only to find him staring at Riku. The young boy follows his gaze, and is shocked to see Riku, waving the Keyblade around easily in one hand.

"The Keyblade, huh?" he says as he gives it a once over, swinging it a few times experimentally.

"Hey!" Sora cries indignantly, rushing his friend with a grimace on his face. "Hey give it back! C'mon, it's mine!"

Riku just holds out his non-wielding hand, easily keeping Sora at bay while he further examines the Keyblade. Azlyn laughs aloud at the image, finally able to ignore the creepy vibe she's been feeling ever since Riku showed up.

"What're you laughing at?" Sora whirls on the guffawing knight, but he moves too fast and loses his balance, falling to the pavement and prompting an even greater laugh from Azlyn, and a concerned wince from Telary.

"Okay, okay," Riku says through his chuckles. "I think you've been tortured enough, eh? Catch."

Riku tosses the Keyblade to its wielder, who catches it easily and dismisses it immediately, not wanting any further humiliation to come from it.

"Now that we're done messing around," he says as he rises, grinning once more, "you can totally come with us on our rocket. It's so awesome, and I even get to fly it! Well, I did once…"

"Oh, no way!" Azlyn vetoes, slashing her arm through the air emphatically. "There's no way I'm letting him tag along on this mission. This _important_, _life or death _mission."

"You said when we found my friends…"

"I said I'd help you find him. Nothing about letting civilians tag along on official Disney Castle missions."

"Civilian nothing, Azlyn! You saw him take on that Heartless back there. He can totally help us out, I promise!"

"Sorry, nope. Not gonna happen." Azlyn plants her feet and crosses her arms defiantly, absolutely adamant in her policy.

"You… you big…."

"What? I'm a big what? Go on and say it, if you think you're tough enough!"

Telary, who has thus far been covering his face out of sheer secondhand embarrassment, sighs and turns to Riku. "I'm sorry, Riku. These two just always seem to… Hey!"

Sora and Azlyn stall their dustup at the mage's outburst, turning to see him covering his mouth in bewilderment. Confused, they turn to see what he's looking at, and find the plaza empty, Riku nowhere in sight.

"Riku!" Sora cries, looking all around. "Riku, where'd you go? Hello!"

"Huh," Azlyn says simply, frowning. "I guess he won't be coming after all."

"Probably because you scared him off," Sora shoots back, but there isn't any venom in it. Just a bit of weariness. "Oh well. I guess the important thing is that he's safe, right?"

"Sure thing," Telary agrees reassuringly. "I bet you anything we'll be seeing him real soon."

"Yeah!" Sora exclaims with a grin, lacing his fingers together behind his head and leaning back on the balls of his feet. "And who knows, maybe we'll run into Kairi soon? Yeah, I bet we'll see him in no time."

Azlyn sighs deeply. "Do you ever get tired of being so blindly optimistic all the time, Sora? Because I do."

"Well," Telary interjects, "we should probably be getting to that meeting. We're late enough as it is."

He and Azlyn start moving, heading for the plaza's exit, while Sora takes another second to wistfully look around, dreaming of when he'll see Riku again, this time for good.

One thing is for sure in the boy's mind, though: He's not letting Riku get his paws on the Keyblade like that ever again. Not without asking permission from its master.

**KH-KH-KH**

The mood in the small house is decidedly somber. Leon leans against one wall with his arms crossed and his head bowed, Aerith and Yuffie are chatting lowly while sitting on the small bed in the corner of the square room, and Cid is fiddling with some merchandise at the small wooden table in the middle of the room. The light from the electric chandelier above is kind of dim, making everything look duller. The faint scent of dust and mothballs can still be smelled underneath a bit of lemon air freshener.

"Uh, hi everybody," Sora says nervously as he, Azlyn, and Telary enter the one room house cautiously. Leon, Yuffie, and Aerith all look up at the new arrivals, but Cid is apparently too enamored with his tinkering to be bothered. "Sorry we're late. I actually ran into my friend Riku." The boy frowns. "Sorry you can't meet him. He, uh, left after a few minutes. Probably has something important to do, so…"

"Okay," Azlyn interjects loudly, "what's going on? Why are you all acting like somebody peed in your cornflakes?"

Cid snorts out a bit of laughter, then sets whatever he was doing down on the table. "Ya certainly got a way with words, Missy. Give ya that much. You kids ever heard of someone named Maleficent?"

The trio's eyes all widen at the sound of the name.

"Matter of fact, we have," Azlyn answers, scowling. "Yeah, she hired a bunch of lowlifes to attack our castle! We beat them off, but…"

"They got our friends," Telary finishes, muttering lowly.

"Heh," Cid replies, flicking his toothpick and sneering. "Yeah, that sounds like something that old witch would do. She's as nasty as they come, the stories say."

"Witch?" Telary asks.

"Well, there are a whole bunch of 'em. Some say she's just a poor girl done wrong by a man, but I think that's a load of…"

"No, uh, sorry," Telary apologizes sheepishly. "I meant 'witch' as in, y'know, cackling, spell casting hag. Not like, uh, which stories are you referring to."

"Oh, I see."

"Anyway," Yuffie answers, rolling her eyes at the miscommunication, "she's involved in all kinds of nasty stuff and black magic. Rumor even has it that it's her who's controlling the Heartless."

"Controlling them?" Sora bursts out.

"Yeah," Leon confirms quietly, sighing. "She's the reason this town is so full of Heartless. She's also the reason we had to leave our world and come here."

"Really?" Telary inquires, tilting his head. "I thought your world was destroyed. How else would you have ended up here?"

"Our world wasn't destroyed by the Heartless," Aerith explains gently. "It was taken over by them."

"One day a mob of Heartless just showed up," Cid recalls with a sneer. "Maleficent had them clear out the town and castle, but I guess she couldn't find the Keyhole, so she just stayed held up there, plottin' the rest of her foul deeds. Me and these kids only escaped by the skin of our teeth.

"That was eleven years ago," Leon continues, shaking his head disdainfully. "Ever since then she's been held up in the old castle, where Ansem used to live."

"The ruler of your world, right?" Telary asks. "The guy who wrote the report that everybody wants to find."

"Yes," Aerith confirms. "We think it's most likely that Maleficent has most of its pages. That's probably how she learned to control the Heartless so well."

"Ansem knew how to control Heartless?" Azlyn asks suspiciously.

"Oh, he would never do anything like that!" Aerith assures the knight. "But he was a very wise man. A man of science. If anyone could research the Heartless well enough to find the secret of controlling them, it was him."

"But now he's missing, most likely dead, and Maleficent has all his secrets," Leon rages, in his own quiet way. "She's in control of the Heartless, and she's coming here to destroy the last refuge these lost people have in the universe. And there's nothing I can do to stop her!"

"Hey!" Sora exclaims, drawing everyone's attention to him. "You can't go thinking like that!"

"Yeah, Leon," Telary points out reassuringly. "All Sora has to do is seal the Keyhole, right? That should keep the Heartless from…"

"We don't know where it is," Leon interrupts glumly, fixing the mage with a glare that causes him to take a step back. "We've been looking for years, and come up empty. We…_ I_ failed this town, and all the people in it."

"Stop that right now!" Sora demands, leaping up on to the table to better address the room. "You can't give up, Leon. Not now, when the people of Traverse Town are counting on you!"

Outside the small house, Sora's impassioned speech, full of fist shaking and sweeping arm gestures, can be easily seen through the window. Riku watches it all with mild interest, his mouth turned down only slightly.

"Well, it seems dear Sora has amassed quite the following," Maleficent observes haughtily, one hand resting on the small of Riku's back. He's too focused on his younger friend to do anything about it. "It's just as I told you, my boy. He has all but forgotten you, so focused on these new friends and the power granted to him by the Keyblade. It's clear that he values that blade far more than he does you. Quite sad, really."

Riku grunts. "He said he wanted me to come with him. See other worlds. He _wanted _me to be with him."

"Yes, I suppose," Maleficent accedes, frowning. "But for what reason, hm? Does he really desire your company so, or perhaps he just wants a chance to flaunt his new powers. He's always been jealous of you, Riku, as strong and clever as you are. Now that he finally has something over you… Well, let us just say power does so tend to go to the head."

"Could be…"

"Come with me my boy," Maleficent offers once again. "I will show you power far beyond what that wretched Sora has with his Keyblade." She pauses a moment, an enigmatic glint in her eye. "And your friend Kairi too. Won't she be delighted to see you?"

Riku takes one last long look at Sora, hesitating. Until he sees his friend in close conference with that new pair, the ones the king sent, who are supposedly so cool, with a vessel to travel the worlds with that must be ten times as cool as some raft built by kids. He observes the way they stand so close, the tall one's hand on Sora's back affectionately.

It more than makes up his mind.

"Okay," he says, turning disgustedly away from the scene. He gives his new benefactor a slight half-grin. "Let's go. I'm tired of wasting my time on kid stuff."

"Excuse me," Aerith chimes in, interrupting the meeting between Sora, Azlyn, and Telary regarding possible Keyhole locations. They turn to her. "I'm not sure if this will help any, but I've had a thought about finding the Keyhole."

"What is it, Aerith?" Sora asks.

"Well, it has to do with the old Gizmo Shop bell," she explains. "There are quite a few old legends about it, you see. One of them is about what happens when you ring it three times in one hour. The details are vague, but I think it could be worth a shot. I've wanted to try it for quite a bit now, but Leon, well, he thinks the whole thing is kind of silly."

"I think we should check it out," Sora says, nodding determinately. "Everything's worth a shot at this point."

"Even lame, vague legends," Azlyn adds.

The group moves for the door, but Cid stops them before they can go.

"After yer done investigatin'," he drawls, "come and see me over in 1st District. There's a stall near the entrance to 2nd. I've got something to show you that I think you'll like."

"Be careful, Sora," Leon cautions the boy. "With the Heartless out in force like they are…"

"No worries, Leon," the Keybearer assures the grim man with a wide grin. "We'll see you really soon, okay?"

"Sure," Leon replies, allowing himself a little half grin. "I'll see you soon."

"I guess," Telary says as the trio make their way through 2nd District on the way to the Gizmo shop, "that this means we were right about the Heartless being controlled by somebody. Not sure if that's better than mindless violence, but…"

"What I don't get," Sora chimes in, his eyes hard and his voice tight, "is how somebody could be that evil? I mean, as far as I can tell all the Heartless are good for is destroying things and separating people. And what kind of person could want that?"

"It makes me sick too," Azlyn agrees, her fists clenched. "I mean, if there was money in it, sure…"

"Azlyn…" Telary sighs.

"Kidding! Gosh, I was kidding!" She shakes her head. "I mean, when I see this Maleficent lady, I plan on knocking her lights out for what she did to Disney Castle, really I do. I was just trying to lighten the mood."

The trio reaches the front door of the Gizmo shop, a dark wood with stained glass windows.

"No Heartless yet," Telary points out as he reaches for the door handle. "Maybe that means we aren't close to the Keyhole after all."

"Um, Telary," Sora says after the door has swung open, "I think you may be wrong there."

A veritable phalanx of Soldier Heartless await inside the brightly colored shop, blue and yellow magical Heartless flitting around as air support, all standing between the trio and the access hatchway to the shop's roof.

"Okay, guys," Sora says as he summons the Keyblade. "Everybody stay together, and watch each other's back. Telary, be ready to heal. Ready?"

"Born ready," Azlyn replies with a confident smirk.

The trio charge, moving almost as one, weapons flashing and spells flying. Lightning strikes called by a Yellow Opera rain down, but Azlyn raises her shield in time to deflect the blow, the layer of rubber between the shield face and handle grounding out most of the harmful electricity, and a few sweeps of the Keyblade eliminating the immediate threats.

Azlyn's shield moves down to bump a trio of Soldiers into each other, messing up their balance and sending them flying into an even larger group. Once they're down, the Heartless are easy pickings for Telary's newly powered up Thundara spell.

They reach the other end of the shop's floor and Sora kicks it open, noticing the wooden ladder leading up to the shop's roof.

"Hold them back for just a second!" he commands, knocking a few various Heartless out of the air.

Telary steps up and gathers together what magic he has to spare, focusing not on the incoming horde, but on the lessons he'd managed to pull from Merlin's spell book. The spell he's thinking of is tricky, but he knows that if he can't pull it off, the consequences will be dire, so he gathers all the willpower he can muster, pouring it into the magic in his mind.

"Flame Barrier!" He thrusts his staff into the air and in response three columns of red hot fire, heat contained within the matrix of his magical working so as to not burn his own teammates, spring from the floor inside the Gizmo shop, cutting off the swarm of Heartless inside from moving forward to attack, the few that do ending up incinerated.

"Whoa!" Azlyn exclaims excitedly upon seeing the wall of flame. "Telary, that's amazing! How…?"

"It was in Merlin's spell book," he explains through labored breathing. "But it isn't gonna last forever, and I don't think I'll be much help on the magic front for a bit. This kind of working takes a lot out of you."

"No problem, Tel," Sora assures the older boy, even as he moves to the access ladder and begins to climb. "All we've got to do now is ring a bell. How hard can that be?"

Pretty hard, the Keyblade wielder realizes as he climbs up onto the roof and sees another group of Soldiers, this time supported by winged versions flying through the air, claws just as sharp as their ground-bound brethren.

He can see, however, the bell, a dull bronze thing set back in a recessed area of the roof. As luck would have it, it's located directly behind the hungry looking swarm of Darkness monsters.

"What're you stopping for?" Azlyn asks with a scoff. Sora looks over his shoulder and sees her and Telary standing on the rooftop's edge. The knight looks ready to go, even grinning a bit as she surveys her opponents. Telary is a bit warier, but his staff is raised just the same.

"Not sure how much help I'll be, considering how much magic I used on that fire barrier," the mage sighs apologetically. "But we'll take care of these guys while you go for the bell. Okay?"

"Thanks guys," Sora says as the Heartless begin to approach. "See you on the other side?"

Azlyn answers with a battle cry, flying into the mass of Heartless, shield spinning. Telary yells as well, though his has more hints of nervousness in it, and follows her into the fray.

As soon as the Heartless seem occupied, Sora charges in himself, swinging the Keyblade wildly and knocking Soldiers out of his way left and right.

An Air Soldier beelines through the air at him, but Azlyn's shield easily intercepts, knocking the creature back. Sora ducks under it, slashes a straight horizontal cut through two Soldiers, and finally emerges on the other side.

A thick rope hangs by the bell, and Sora grips it in his free hand and pulls.

The bell swings and lets out a loud _bong_, but Sora can just barely hear something rattling around inside. Looking down he notices that a small yellow stone has fallen to the ground.

The boy bends to pick it up, finding its surface smooth to the touch. If he squints, the Keybearer can just make out a tiny glimmer of golden light at the heart of the stone.

He holds it closer to his face, inspecting deeper into the light in the core, something almost calling him…

A lion, huge and golden furred with a thick red mane, suddenly appears before him. Startled, Sora lets out a shout and stumbles back. He eyes the lion warily, ready for it to attack.

But it doesn't, opting to merely look around, obviously bewildered by his surroundings. Then, he focuses on Sora, and their eyes meet.

"Simba," Sora lets out like a stray breath, unsure of how the name has come to him. But somehow he knows that is the lion's name, and Simba is willing to assist him against the Heartless.

"Ready?" he asks, holding out the Keyblade, the tip already gathering light. Simba crouches low, almost seeming to nod as he does.

Sora thrusts the Keyblade upward, and simultaneously Simba rises up, chest thrust forward, and lets out a roar worthy of a king.

The light of the Keyblade expands as the roar echoes out, engulfing the rooftop in a dazzling brilliance.

After a moment the light fades, and the rooftop is cleansed of Heartless. Azlyn and Telary look around as their vision clears, noticing that they are alone. Then they notice the lion, still with his head in the air.

Simba lowers his gaze to look at Sora, something like friendship in his clear blue eyes.

"Thanks, Simba," Sora says, bowing his head to the lion, who lets out a roar in return before fading out in a wink of light.

Azlyn and Telary approach. "What the hell was that?" the knight asks, looking from the spot Simba just vanished from to the stone in Sora's hand.

"Simba," Sora answers almost dumbly, still not quite sure himself what just occurred. "He was lost in Darkness, but his heart didn't want to give up. I… I think I called to him, or the Keyblade did, and then he helped us beat the Heartless." The Keyblade wielder pockets the stone. "And he'll be there if we need him again."

"Huh," Telary says. "Well anyway, the bell?"

"Right!" Sora agrees, moving to the rope and pulling once to set he brass bell swinging and _bong_ing once more, then finally a third time, letting go of the rope and letting it swing.

The rooftop begins shaking as soon as the rope is released, the whole plaza seemingly set into motion.

At the edge of the plaza, the mural set behind the fountain, three white flowers set against a red background, begins to spin, and the water of the fountain suddenly transmutes to burning red flame. The mural spins past another picture of flowers set against a blue background, then more flowers against green, finally stopping on a picture of five butterflies flying around a single red flower. As soon as the mural stops on the image, the flame returns to water, six powerful jets shooting up and falling against the mural. Wherever the drops drip down, the stone begins to spark, finally rumbling down into a solid white glow, the shape of a three foot tall keyhole glowing blue in the midst of it.

"We found it!" Sora cries triumphantly, pumping his fist into the air. "Now c'mon, let's go seal that Keyhole!"

"One problem, Sora," Azlyn points out. "It's down there, and we're up on this rooftop! Let's go back to the ladder and…"

"No need," Telary informs his counterpart. He leads the group to the edge of the roof, the stone ground of the plaza far below. He waves his spell over the trio, grinning cheerfully. "Mass Feather Fall!"

Sparks fall from the air and glow upon contact with the trio's skin.

"Huh," Sora says, examining his arm where the sparks struck. Next to him, Azlyn does the same. "I feel… Lighter."

"Exactly," Telary confirms with a smile and a nod. "I found the spell in the book Merlin gave me. Now we can jump from any height and just float down to the ground like a feather."

"Wow," Sora comments favorably. "Are you sure it…?"

Azlyn, who until now has been regarding herself with curiosity, grins mischievously and gives Sora a one-handed push, sending the boy off the rooftop. As promised, he simply floats to the ground, landing no worse for the wear against the stone pavement.

"It works!" Azlyn calls down to the miffed Keybearer. Telary rolls his eyes, but the knight doesn't notice, leaping down with a thrilled grin.

Once Telary jumps as well, the trio make their way towards the Keyhole.

They get about halfway to the fountain when suddenly a portal of darkness opens above them. All three manage to dodge, and when they've recovered from the shock, they turn to see a Guard Armor, the same Heartless that had been leading the forces of darkness on the trio's first visit to Traverse Town, standing menacingly above them, poised to attack.

"Ha!" Azlyn laughs, dropping into a combat ready stance. "I guess second time's the charm, huh?"

"Third time, actually, according to the saying," Telary corrects her, more out of nervous habit than anything else. "I'm pretty sure the second time is just bad luck."

"Yeah," Sora chimes in, Keyblade at the ready. "Bad luck for _it_!"

They charge, ducking under the swipe of a clawed fist. The boys keep moving, but Azlyn stops and makes a corkscrew jump upwards, her shield bashing against the armored hand several times and sending it flopping to the ground uselessly.

A huge, black metal foot comes stomping down at Sora and Telary, but they dodge and Telary knocks a blizzard spell into the pavement, which the foot slides against in an almost comical pratfall.

The next foot rushes at Sora from above, but he gets the Keyblade up in enough time to swat it down, only to be immediately presented with the threat of a closed metal gauntlet. As it rushes him with the force of a battering ram, Sora jumps, somehow managing to leap above it and plant his feet against it, only for a second, before launching himself straight at the torso.

With a loud yell and a mighty downward swing of the Keyblade, Sora knocks the creature's torso out of the air and sends it crashing to the ground, lying in a heap with all the other defeated body parts.

"Yes!" Azlyn cries triumphantly, letting out an ecstatic whoop. She dances gracefully over to the downed torso, still grinning like the Cheshire Cat, and places a foot on the fallen metal carcass of their foe. "Thirty seconds flat, by my reckoning. Man, that was the easiest Heartless battle ever!"

"Yeah…" Telary agrees, scratching his chin and looking over the various dropped parts of the Guard Armor's body. Something about this business seems off to him. "Why didn't it disappear?"

"Huh?" Sora asks, stopping his walk to the Keyhole and turning back to face his companion, looking confused. "You're right. Usually when we destroy a Heartless…"

Suddenly, the body parts begin to twitch, and Azlyn wisely backs off from the torso her foot had been planted on moments ago.

It's just in time, too, as a second later the parts begin to rise, all of the disparate limbs floating together to reform, back into the creature's original shape.

The trio regroups and prepares weapons, ready for anything.

The Guard Armor bends over, planting the metallic spikes of its "fingers" into the pavement of the square. Then, like a child doing a handstand, the torso begins to flip over, feet rising as well. When things settle, the head floats back down to rest just above the wide metal "skirt" that had once been nearest the ground. Then with two twin clinks, the broad black feet snap into pincers.

With hands now feet and feet hands, the Opposite Armor's visor slams down, revealing the creature's face of pure shadow and two yellow eyes.

"Uh, wow," Sora breathes, taking a step back from the transformed monstrosity.

"I hope you were right, Tel," Azlyn mutters to her companion.

"About what?" the mage asks.

"The third time being the charm."

The Opposite Armor dives through the air at the group, scattering them across the square. From there it separates, the hands and head moving together towards Azlyn, and the feet and torso strafing Sora and Telary's position.

The feet come together to form a deadly, windmill-like blade in front of the torso, and immediately set after the mage and the Keybearer, who turn tail and flee.

The black metal pincers of the creature's hands move for Azlyn, snapping open and shut and forcing the girl to jump and twist around them, at times only barely avoiding a crushed leg or arm or head.

Speaking of heads, after a moment of waiting the Opposite Armor's strikes, loop-de-looping around and going right for the knight.

She manages to transpose her shield between the flying head and her at the last second, taking it aback for a second she can't afford to waste, twisting and getting a solid kick into its face.

Shaking off Azlyn's attack, the Heartless calls its disparate parts back together, once again forming a single body.

It begins to twist again, the clawed feet snapping into place around the wide skirt, the arms locking into position near the smaller opening at the top of the torso, and the head floating just barely above it all.

"What…?" Azlyn asks, taking a step forward even as a blue glow begins to accumulate inside the outward-facing opening.

"Azlyn!" Telary yells as he dives forward, slamming into Azlyn. They hit the ground and roll, just as the blue ball of pure energy slams into the spot the knight was just occupying, leaving a massive dark stain on the pavement.

The mage looks into his counterpart's eyes with concern, heedless of the fact that he's laying right on top of her.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah," she confirms, letting out a breath of air she hadn't realized she was holding. "Except, you're crushing me a little…"

"Oh!" He rolls off of her, looking quite sheepish about the whole thing. "Sorry, I was just…"

"No, hey, thank you! For saving my life there."

Another blast impacting against the plaza, barely missing Sora, shocks the pair out of their awkward moment.

"How are we supposed to stop that thing?" Telary asks, as the Opposite Armor cannon chases after a distraught Sora. It would almost look like a comedy routine if not for all of Sora's terrified screams.

"It's gonna go so high we can't get to it, and just keep blasting us from up there," Azlyn suggests, going over several possible strategies for the Heartless to use and arriving at the most probable.

"So we have to get up to its level?"

Back over in the battle, or rather at the moment the chase, Sora nearly breaks his neck tripping over an abandoned snow-cone cart, instead just ending up ice that settles on his face for a moment, giving him the appearance of a long beard to match Merlin's, before sloughing off and melting.

"That, or…" Suddenly, Azlyn has an idea. She looks from her shield to the creature, working out the logistics until she's sure the plan is perfect. Or at least as good as it's going to get. "Okay, I've got it. Stay here, I'll take care of this in two seconds!"

Telary opens his mouth to protest, but quickly shuts it again as he watches Azlyn bound away after danger. After all, most of his magic will work just fine from this range, and he trusts Azlyn's plans.

For the most part.

Sora backs against the brick wall at the end of the plaza, for whatever reason choosing to focus on the Keyhole rather than the hovering monster Heartless cannon hovering over him, gathering energy for the strike that will end it all.

It's ironic, he thinks, or at the very least terribly sad, that he's about to meet his end so close to the Keyhole. He wonders vaguely if after he's gone the Keyblade will pass on to another worthy person somewhere in the universe. Someone who can save the universe properly.

At least he got to see Riku one last time, at least he knows his oldest friend is alive and doing relatively well. He'd have liked to see Kairi for real as well, but somehow he feels she's with him regardless…

The blue energy gathers once more in the wide opening, the beady eyes of the Heartless staring steadily at its target. All I will take is one more second to charge, and then…

Azlyn comes flying in, stuffing her shield, the weapon she has trained every day to use since she was young, the symbol of her dedication to Disney Castle, right into the end of the Heartless cannon.

The Opposite Armor's weak mind is at least self-aware enough to realize that now is a time to panic. The charge has been built up too much, there's no going back now. But with all that energy to release and nowhere to release it from…

"Down!" Azlyn yells, pulling Sora to the ground. Telary rushes in and crouches beside them, staff raised and spell prepared.

With nowhere to go, the dark energy of the Opposite Armor cannon reverses back into itself, blowing back the head of the Heartless with such force that it launches past the doorway from 2nd to 1st District, all the way up into the stars above.

As for Sora, Azlyn, and Telary, the mage manages to erect a magical barrier of protection around them letting the loose energies of the blast harmlessly wash over them.

"Wow," Sora whispers incredulously as soon as the light has faded from his eyes. "That was…"

"Just seal the Keyhole, Sora," Azlyn commands sharply, trying not to dwell on the loss of her shield. It's just a bit of metal, she knows that, but it meant much more to her. She won't see its loss be in vain.

Sora steps up to the still glowing Keyhole, raising the Keyblade on his own volition for the first time during such an event. Light gathers around its tip, coalescing into a beam that flies from the blade to the hole.

There's a loud click, and the Keyhole explodes in a shower of light, returning to the mural it once was.

Traverse Town is, for the first time, completely safe.

* * *

**And that's about the halfway point there folks. I'd like to thank everyone who has read this far in this stupidly massive story, everyone favoriting and following, and a big special shout out to my (so far) only reviewer, Spiderfan626. If anyone else reading would like to drop a comment, anything at all, I'd massively appreciate it.**

**So, yeah, that's basically it. I just wanted to get a message out to the fans to say thank you and encourage everyone to keep reading! If you think the familiar Kingdom Hearts story has been shaken up so far, lemme tell ya, you ain't seen nothin' yet.**


	17. Little Wooden Head

Leon, Aerith, Yuffie, and Cid are all standing waiting for Sora, Azlyn, and Telary as they enter 1st District, fresh from their victory. As soon as they see the trio, everyone begins clapping.

The companions exchange proud looks and smiles, all three basking in the glow of their achievement and the admiration of their friends.

"Speech! Speech!" Yuffie cries out, cupping her hands around her mouth.

"You really don't have to do that," Leon promises them. All three notice immediately that there's something off about him, something different than it was before.

"You're smiling!" Sora laughs, clapping his hands. "You actually look happy!"

"Well, it's all thanks to you," the leather clad man admits. His expression switches on a dime, returning to its usual dowerness. "Don't get too attached to it. We're still a long way from home, but…"

"You've finally given us a truly peaceful place for us to wait out the time until we can return," Aerith finishes with a smile. "The denizens of this town, us included, are all in your debt."

"How much in our debt, might I ask? Monetarily speaking, I mean?" Azlyn inquires with a raised eyebrow, but Telary yanks her back a few steps by the hood of her jacket.

"Well I promise you kids'll always have a discount offer at _my _store!" Cid promises, stepping up and grinning.

"Thanks," Sora replies with a grateful nod.

"Especially since I'm in the market for a new shield," Azlyn interjects. "My old one was, sadly, a casualty of our battle to make this town safe, and thus…"

"Well, here's the thing about that," Cid cuts the knight off, nervously rubbing the back of his neck. "The Accessory Shop is kinda under new management."

"Did you bet it in a poker game?" Azlyn asks, wagging her finger.

Everyone laughs, even Cid.

"Naw," he answers with a flippant grin, "I just passed it on to one a my employees, so I could get on with starting up my _real _business again!"

"What business?" Telary asks.

"Glad you asked, my friend!" Cid exclaims, reaching back into an alley beside him. He draws out a huge cart on wheels, several brightly colored objects on display.

"Gummi blocks!"

"That's right!" Cid confirms with a cheerful grin. "I'm a Gummi engineer. It started off with a penchant for making airships, but once this new tech came along, I was hooked. So, I just wanted ta let you kids know that if you ever need anything, Gummi-wise, I'm the guy to see. Don't even think about goin' ta some other schmuck, because I can guarantee that he won't got the stuff I do."

"And the parts we already asked you to install?" Azlyn asks. "Are we all set up?"

"Sure thing kid," Cid confirms with a wink. "I got yer navigation Gummi all set up to find a path to a new world. And just fer the hell of it I threw in a warp Gummi. All you have to do now to return to a world you've already found the coordinates to is punch it in and flip a switch. I figured it'd come in handy if you need to come back here."

"You can really use this world as a place of rest now," Aerith says with a smile.

Leon steps up and places a hand on Sora's shoulder, looking him straight in the eye. "If you ever need anything, just come to us and ask. You've given us this town, and I'm confident that you can get our world back as well. We trust you, Keyblade master."

"Master, eh?" Sora tries out, a grin spreading across his face. "I really like the sound of that. Sora, Keyblade _master_!"

After everyone has had a good laugh at the expense of Sora's ego and said their proper goodbyes, the trio heads back to the world entrance.

"Here we go again," Telary sighs. "We just go from one trouble to another, don't we?"

"I guess that's the kind of life you lead as a Keyblade _master_," Sora points out with a sigh.

"If you think I am ever going to refer to you as _master_ of anything, then let me tell you buddy…" Azlyn begins, slowly building up to complete incensement.

"Hey there folks!" Jiminy cricket's cheerful voice pops up in front of the band, startling Azlyn out of her anger and into a pinwheeling backwards step.

"Jiminy? Why aren't you on the ship?" Telary asks.

"Well, I got a little peckish and thought I'd try the local cuisine," the chronicler answers, steadying himself on Sora's shoulder. "There's a café nearby that actually isn't bad."

"I could eat," Telary offers, and everyone seems to agree.

So they sit and have a meal, nothing fancier than sandwiches and bowls of soup, but a nice change of pace from whatever they were managing to scrounge together back on the Gummi ship. As they eat, Sora, Azlyn, and Telary fill Jiminy in on their new knowledge of their mission, as well as events in Traverse Town. He writes it down in his journal.

"We should get going," Sora says, standing up and leaving a small pouch of munny to pay for the meal. "We've got a lot of things to do. Seems like every time we turn around, something else pops up."

"Not so fast," Azlyn interrupts abruptly. "I lost my shield in the battle against that Heartless, remember? I realize I'm, like, a premier fist fighting talent, but sometimes a little extra protection doesn't hurt, y'know?"

"Let's go to the accessory shop, then," Telary decides. "I kind of want to meet the new proprietor anyway. Maybe he'll be even friendlier than Cid."

Azlyn rolls her eyes. "Tel, we could walk in there to find a cactus behind the counter, and it would still be friendlier than Cid."

They head over to the shop, Azlyn in the lead. Just as the knight is about to open the door, however, it flies open on its own, sending the doors flying into her face. She cries out and stumbles back, then yells once more when a small boy runs out, elbowing her directly in the shin.

"Stop!" the shop owner can be heard yelling from inside, scrambling to get out from behind the counter.

"What the hell was that?" Azlyn hisses through gritted teeth, nursing her ankle. "I feel like I just got bashed in the shin with a wooden…"

"Pinocchio?" Jiminy mutters just loud enough for Sora to hear, amazement in his words. Sora turns his head to see that the conscience's eyes are wide and his mouth has dropped open. "Pinocchio!"

"Uh, Jiminy," the Keybearer whispers nervously to the cricket, ignoring Telary moving to crouch at Azlyn's side, "what did you just…?"

"Pinocchio!" Jiminy leaps off Sora's shoulder like he's been set on fire, holding tightly to the brim of his hat to keep it in place as he takes off down the street, following the thief, who can still be seen making a run for it.

"What's a Pinocchio?" Azlyn asks, rising easily after her shin has been cured, cocking her head as she watches Jiminy hop away in hot pursuit. "And why is Jiminy so fixated on catching that kid?"

"Maybe it's a conscience thing," Telary posits. "Like he feels a duty to bring in wrongdoers."

"You mean he's gonna take that thieving midget down?" Azlyn exclaims, her face lighting up. "I hope I get there in time to help!"

She takes off down the street, and Sora follows not two feet behind her, his own curiosity propelling his steps. Telary watches them for a moment, then rolls his eyes and follows.

"You caught him!" Azlyn congratulates her tiny compadre, who is standing in front of a small boy dressed in red overalls, a white t-shirt, and a yellow hat, hands on hips and eye looking stern. "Nice! Now let's get this…"

The knight steps forward to grab the boy, only to find that his arm has a hinge!

"Wood!" Sora exclaims as he draws an obvious conclusion. "You're made out of wood!"

"This," Jiminy explains to the trio as soon as Telary pulls up to the scene, "is Pinocchio. We're from the same world, and before it's destruction I was assigned as his conscience. This boy used to get in trouble like…"

"What's with the wood?" Azlyn asks immediately, not interested in any other details.

"Long story," is all Jiminy offers as an explanation, turning back to the boy and returning to stern mode. "Now, it sounded to me like that nice shopkeep back there was under the impression you'd stolen something. Now, why would he assume that?"

"Oh, Jiminy, I've got no idea," the boy replies, shrugging and looking as sincere as possible. Until, that is, a burst of light erupts at the tip of his nose, and in moments it elongates almost an inch! "Oh! Um…"

"Ew," Telary says.

"What the…?" Sora exclaims.

Azlyn has nothing to say at all, an extremely rare occasion.

"Aha!" Jiminy shouts triumphantly, hopping high in the air. "I knew you were up to no good. Oh, Pinocchio, what did you steal?"

"Nothing much," the wooden boy clearly lies, as evidenced by another inch of nose growth. Jiminy gives him another look, and the boy sighs, reaching into a back pocket. He pulls out a long metallic chain that glows underneath the street lamps.

"Now, Pinocch, why would you take something like that, huh? What do you need a chain for?"

"I dunno," Pinocchio replies, his nose gradually shrinking back to normal length as he does. "I just saw it, and it was so shiny…"

"Well, you're going to give it back, young man! That's a guarantee!" Jiminy gives his charge a solid thump to the wooden leg, and the boy stands with a sigh, head hung low, his white gloved hands by his sides. "Now, march!"

"Wait a second!" Azlyn declares, putting a hand in front of the wooden boy just as he's getting up. "Before we go anywhere, I wanna know why this kid is made of wood." Behind her, Sora and Telary nod in agreement.

Jiminy sighs. "Okay, fine. I guess this would look a bit odd to the uninitiated. Pinocchio here started out as a lifeless puppet, carved back on our world by a toymaker named Geppetto. Now Geppetto was a lonely old man, and all he ever wanted was a son. So, the night he finished carving Pinocch here, he got down on his knees and wished for it to be a real boy. And the Blue Fairy heard his wish, and came down to bring Pinocchio to life. For when you wish upon a star, it makes no difference who you are. Anything your heart desires can come to you."

"Reminder," Azlyn whispers to herself, "find blue star lady, wish for munny."

"That was the day Pinocchio was born. But he was just an animated puppet, not a real boy. To do that, he needs to prove himself worthy. That's where I come in."

"And the nose…?" Telary asks.

"Whenever Pinocchio lies, his nose grows. A little insurance policy to keep him, well, honest," Jiminy finishes explaining.

"Any way we could set up something like that up for Azlyn?" Sora jokes, earning a glare from the knight.

"Now, as I was saying," Jiminy states, turning back to Pinocchio, "you're going back to return what you stole and apologize. March!"

The puppet boy hangs his head and the group troops back toward the accessory shop. As they approach, Azlyn reaches down and yanks him upward, trapping him in her arms.

"Hey, lemme go!" Pinocchio protests, while the rest of the group moves to help. They're too slow, however, and Azlyn rushes into the shop.

The keeper turns and looks at the struggling boy with wide eyes.

"Caught your thief!" Azlyn announces, setting Pinocchio down on the counter like he's a bracelet she wants appraised.

"Thank you so much!" the shopkeeper, a plain looking boy dressed in a blue vest, white shirt, and tan slacks, says gratefully. "I owe you big time!"

Azlyn grins. "I had a feeling you'd say that."

A few minutes later, the group walks back out of the Accessory Shop, Azlyn admiring her new shield. It's a bit smaller than her old one, colored green with a silver fleur-de-lis in the middle, but all she cares is that she can throw it, and it's free.

"Great job teaching Pinocchio about morality," Telary deadpans. "When this is all over, I'm making you take an ethics class at Mouseburg High."

"Hey, I already passed that class once!" Azlyn replies defensively.

"Did you cheat?"

"… Maybe."

"Well, maybe some good honest work will teach Pinocchio a thing or two," Jiminy says from his position on Sora's shoulder. "Now, you make sure you report to work _on time_ tomorrow. I know you're just doing this to make up for stealing, but maybe you'll find some aptitude for shopkeeping."

"I'm sorry I got in trouble, Jiminy," the puppet boy apologizes, staring at the ground in shame. "But without you or father around, it's hard to remember what's good to do and what isn't."

"I know, Pinocch," Jiminy says understandingly. "But me and my friends, we've been finding all sorts of people out there among the worlds. If we happen across your father, I promise we'll do our best to get you two back together."

"Really? Aw, thanks Jiminy!"

"Don't mention it, Pinocchio." The cricket grins. "It's what any good conscience would do."

After goodbyes are said, the trio and Jiminy return to the Gummi ship.

"Y'know, Jiminy," Azlyn says to the chronicler, "maybe you'll wanna ask the next time you volunteer us for a search and rescue mission."

Jiminy gives her a stern look. "As long as you give me a heads up the next time you kidnap me."

"Touché."

**KH-KH-KH**

The next day, Pinocchio is working at the shop and bored out of his mind shelving inventory, when Cid walks in and begins a conversation with the shopkeeper.

"Hey, Wedge," the old Gummi merchant says gruffly, "do ya mind doin' me a favor? I've been keepin' a spare key to my Gummi garage in the cart, but some unsavory looking kids've been hangin' around, and I wanna keep it safe. Can I trust you to put it in the vault for safekeeping?"

"Sure thing, Cid," Wedge promises, taking the key and placing it on the counter beside him."

"You're a good man, Wedge," Cid says with a smile. "Wouldn't want some kid to hop in one a my Gummis and go joyridin' to another world, eh?"

Another world? That certainly intrigues Pinocchio. Maybe, if he went to another world, he could find out where his father had ended up…


	18. Arabian Days

Sometimes it seems to Azlyn that a day just isn't complete without the familiar, though still no less jarring, sound of Telary shrieking in fear.

She bolts out of her room before he sound has even died down, passing the open door of Sora's room and seeing the Keybearer cock his head at the odd noise, still not as "trained" to react as Azlyn is.

She climbs the ladder up and makes an immediate assessment of the cockpit as soon as her head is above the floor, peering around and seeing no apparent signs of danger. Just Telary, leaned back into the cushion of his seat with one hand clenching his chest. In front of him, a monitor that Azlyn has never noticed before floats above, held aloft by a thin but strong metal arm.

"Hey there, Azlyn!" Dale, the red-nosed, goofier of the chipmunk brothers and Gummi engineers, greets the knight as she finishes her climb. Below, she can hear Sora start his own ascent, having finally caught up with the program.

"Sorry to scare you, Telary," Dale, black-nosed and responsible, apologizes to Telary, who by now has at least managed to get his breathing back under control. "We must have forgotten to tell you about the two-way comm system." The flight controller pauses and gives Azlyn a knowing look. "Of course, if you hadn't stolen it in the first place…"

"There's going to come a day that someone will forget to remind me of that," Azlyn sighs, taking her seat to Telary's left.

"Not any time soon though, I'd imagine," Telary quips with a hint of a smile, his spirits back to normal after the shock he'd received.

"That'll be the first thing I tell Kairi about you guys," Sora comments from his seat to the right. "I'll say, 'Hey, Kairi, these are my friends Azlyn and Telary, and they stole a Gummi ship'."

After the laughter dies down, Dale declares it time to get to business. "We actually called to give you guys some bad news."

"Is the castle okay?" Telary asks, leaning forward and gripping his chair's arm rests. "The queen? Something from Donald or Goofy?"

"No, no, we're all fine," Dale assures the mage. "New columns just went up out in the colonnade, and most of the audience chamber has been cleared up."

"We called because we picked somethin' up on our far-range scanners," Dale says, looking more concerned than is his usual nature. "We've been getting a lot of Darkness readings from the worlds, 'cause of the Heartless, but now we're starting to see similar signatures out in Gummi space, mostly clustered among further out worlds."

"What does that mean?" Azlyn asks.

"In short," Chip answers, "it seems that the Heartless have found a way to use Gummi technology in combination with their own dark powers, which…"

"Would give them a fleet of ships all their own," Telary finishes, a panicked edge to his voice. "They could attack us while we're flying from world to world!"

"Afraid so," Chip says apologetically. "We can't get much of a read on locations, not in time to warn you anyway, but you _do _have the turret in back, so…"

"Turret!" Azlyn exclaims, straightening up in her chair, a grin stretching across her face. "You mean like a big gun?"

"Sure," Dale answers, nodding smartly.

"You'd have known that if…"

Azlyn slams a glowing button on the dash, apparently the way to shut off the monitor since Chip and Dale's image winks out and the metal arm pulls the screen back behind the computer bay.

"Heartless Gummi ships," Telary sighs, drooping backwards into the seat. "That's just what we need, space battles! I've never flown in a space battle before. There aren't even combat simulations. Nobody told me about the turret…"

"Relax, Telary," Sora assures the older boy, leaning back in his chair. "If anybody can fly us through a bunch of Heartless ships, it's you. Trust me, we're gonna be fine!"

"Espescially with me on the turret!" Azlyn says, springing out of her seat and springing to the exit. "Once I get my hands on those guns…"

"Who said you're in charge of the turret, huh?" Sora challenges, remembering all the times he and Riku chased each other with tiny peashooters. He hadn't been a bad shot, for a ten year old.

"Oh, please," Azlyn scoffs, crossing her arms indignantly. "Like I'm gonna…"

"You stole the ship!" Sora blurts out. "And that means that…"

"Okay, say that one more time. In grappling range! I dare ya, key boy…"

Telary lifts the ship's yoke, sending it rising off the Gummi garage's landing platform and shaking the cockpit enough so that both Sora and Azlyn lose balance, and therefore steam, preventing the fight from getting physical.

"You will take turns!" the mage barks, uncharacteristically authoritative. "Okay, happy? But for now, just take your seats because we're gonna see if this warp drive is as great as Cid made it sound. Alright?"

Both mumble an apology as they go to their seats, though Sora maintains that Azlyn started it.

Telary shakes his head as he focuses on the instruments, finding the pattern to engage warp speed. Luckily he made sure to note the positions of all their previously visited worlds, so it's a simple matter to call up Deep Jungle's coordinates, the furthest out world they'd been able to detect, and punch in for warp.

"Hang on everybody," Telary instructs, flexing his fingers around the controls. "This is gonna be…"

He pushes down the warp sequence ignition button, and the view space outside the cockpit shifts from a pleasant blue and green to a harsh white, silver streaks threading through it. All of this happens before Telary can even finish his sentence, so fast that none of the trio notice it happening at all.

"…Different," Telary finishes. Looking out the viewport, he can see that they're just out of Deep Jungle's orbit, the green world spinning slowly beneath them. "Huh."

"Whoa!" Sora exclaims, exiting his seat and pressing his face against the glass to get a better look. "We got here so fast I didn't even know it was happening! Cool!"

"It is nice," Azlyn admits, acting unimpressed. "Saves a lot of time stuck in here alone with you boys."

Telary notices that the dash-inset monitor is beeping, and leaning over he can see that a new world can be located on radar.

"Can we warp to the next world too?" Sora asks.

"Sadly not," Telary explains. "The nav Gummi just doesn't give us anything beyond a vague impression of the world's location. I need to maintain constant control to get us there."

"Fascinating as that is," Azlyn says with a yawn, rising and stretching, "I've got an appointment with some guns, so…"

"Who said you get the first turn?" Sora protests, turning and inching away from the glass viewport.

"I did!" the knight provides cheerfully, then dashes after the hatch, laughing like a madwoman. Sora is after her like a shot, arms pumping and face focused.

Telary sighs as he settles in for the flight, and winces when he hears a loud crash from belowdecks, and the frightened yelp of Jiminy Cricket.

**KH-KH-KH**

The streets of Agrabah, normally so crowded with people and children and animals and all sorts of things Jafar considers nothing more than annoying and messy, are empty, perhaps for the first time in years. Certainly the vizier can scarce remember a midday in the marketplace so devoid of life.

All in all, he's pleased with his work.

"But you haven't found the Keyhole yet," Maleficent reminds her second-in-command imperiously, obviously not as pleased as he is. "You've searched the _entire _palace, have you not?"

"Yes, Maleficent, every inch of it has been swept, from tallest tower to deepest dungeon," Jafar informs her, fighting an urge to roll his eyes. Sometimes he suspects that the most evil thing about the jade-skinned witch is her micromanaging. "It's been a task of days, but…"

"You should have searched more quickly. Or have you been mining all the enjoyment you can from ruling Agrabah?"

Jafar scowls openly this time, and is about to say something disdainful that could get him turned to a Shadow, but luckily for him at that moment a squawk rings out from above, signaling the arrival of Iago.

The tiny red parrot lands gently on Jafar's shoulder. It's been nearly a decade since the vizier had met the bird, recognizing almost immediately a devious heart not unlike his own. Ever since, the parrot has been a loyal, if mouthy, follower.

"I searched the whole town, Jafar," he informs his sorcerous master. "From the palace gardens to the western wall, and I couldn't find hide or tail of the princess."

Jafar's scowl grows deeper, and he puffs out an angry breath from his nostrils. "That girl has once again proven herself more trouble than she's worth. First she escapes custody, and now she's gone underground. It almost makes me question…"

"The girl is important Jafar," Maleficent reminds him, arching her eyebrow dangerously. "If I've told you once, I've told you a thousand times: We need all seven maidens of purest heart if we are to make my Keyhole operational, or open the final door. We may have captured four so far, but if even one slips through our fingers…"

"I'm aware of the girl's importance, my friend," Jafar snaps back, noting that this prompts Maleficent's eyebrow to climb another inch, a feat he'd thought impossible before. "I was merely expressing my frustration. If she needs be found…"

The vizier waves his hand and summons a cadre of Heartless, squat humanoids dressed in baggy pants and vests. Their faces are wrapped up in cloth strips like turbans, only a few inches of black face and yellow eyes poking out. Each carries a large scimitar, easily wielding it with one hand. The dread symbol of the Heartless stands out on their chests.

"Iago, take these Heartless, find Princess Jasmine, and bring her to me," he commands with a flourishing wave of his staff. The bird nods, and launches off of his shoulder, the Heartless racing after with their swords held high.

Another hand wave brings a second group, then a third. He gives all three the same instruction to capture Jasmine and bring her to him, stressing the importance of not harming the girl. As he watches them charge off, he can't help but grin at their obedience. Not even Iago follows orders so well.

"I would not advise becoming so attached to the Darkness," Maleficent says, like a warning from a busybody schoolteacher. "It can prey upon your heart if you aren't careful, and with you none-the-wiser. The Heartless consume the careless."

Jafar laughs to hide his anger. "Your concern is very touching, dear Maleficent, but hardly necessary. I can handle the Heartless just fine."

"If you say so. I just hope your arrogance doesn't disrupt my plans."

"I believe that you meant to say _our_ plans, Maleficent. Don't forget my role in all of this."

Maleficent turns away from her companion, mostly so he can't see her roll her eyes. "Of course not, Jafar. Of course not."

She leaves then, simply fading away until she is back in the safe darkness of her fortress and Jafar is left alone on the sandy street.

The vizier-turned- sultan of Agrabah scowls at the spot Maleficent just occupied. How dare she talk to him, the new ruler of Agrabah, in that tone! Hadn't he been the first of their group to join her crusade against the universe? Hadn't he served loyally, patiently waiting until the day arrived that he could turn the Darkness loose on the place that he was so desperate to rule?

She knows nothing of his other operation, a throwback to plans he had made long before she had offered him the Heartless. Somewhere out in the desert is the key to victory over even Maleficent. Somewhere, deep in the Cave of Wonders, a lamp awaits for the day Jafar finds it and makes all of his wishes come true…

He leaves eventually to return to the palace, and perhaps torture the former sultan a bit. He'd saved the man from the Heartless in order to prolong his vengeance, why not make use of him?

When Jafar is gone and the market is clear once more, a young woman emerges from behind a fruit stall, her eyes watery from the effort of restraining tears.

**Agrabah**

The trek in from where they park the Gummi ship is short, thankfully, and the heat beats down upon Sora, Azlyn, and Telary's heads all the way.

The city's walls are impressive, at least, strong white stone walls Telary estimates are about thirteen feet high, topped by golden domes every ten feet along it.

Over the top of the wall, the trio can see the top of a huge white building topped by the most massive golden dome in the city.

"I just can't believe it," Azlyn huffs, her nose wrinkling in angry disgust. "We fly through space for, like, six hours and there's not one Heartless to shoot! Unbelievable!"

"Well, that's just too bad for you," Sora teases, grinning cheekily in a way that he knows will provoke the girl, "because next trip, it's _my _turn on the turret."

Azlyn opens her mouth to say something, but Telary decides to just run over her and prevent further arguing. "I stand by the taking turns system. It should keep everything fair. Now, could you two please focus? This is a new world, and danger could be around any corner."

Azlyn looks around at the absolutely empty plaza. A few stalls are set up here and there, but all of them are either locked up tight, or completely abandoned. It's quiet, too, in ways that cities usually aren't in the middle of the day. Not even ambient noise from surrounding streets filter in.

"It's a ghost town," Sora notes with a frown, spinning in a slow circle to take everything in. All in all, there isn't much. When he turns back to his companions, a panicked look mars his face. "What could have done this to…?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Azlyn asks, trying to sound less caustically sarcastic than usual. "It must have been the Heartless. They must have…"

"A whole town?" Sora squeaks out, tears beginning to well up in his eyes. "They've… They've gotten rid of so many people and the world doesn't even look a bit destroyed. How could they do this? How could…"

Telary steps up and puts a hand on the boy's shoulder, then brings him in closer and wraps an arm around his shoulder.

"I came too late to stop this," the Keybearer continues, the water in his eyes disappearing in the span of one hard blink, replaced by a righteous anger. "But I swear I'm going to make the Heartless pay for what they did here. I'm going to seal the Keyhole, stop Maleficent, and get justice for these people."

"We all are," Azlyn says assuredly, and Telary nods agreement. A half-hearted grin on his face, Sora shrugs Telary's arm away and begins to march down the city streets.

The only sound accompanying them is that of their own footsteps and the occasional gust of wind, displacing sand here and there.

Suddenly, though, the silence is broken by the sound of new footsteps, coming down a ways around the curve of the street. From the sound of it, there are several pairs of feet in the group.

Just as the trio prepares their weapons, five Bandit Heartless round the bend, swords held high and feet kicking up clouds of dust!

"Well," Azlyn remarks as she readies her shield for a throw, "I'd say that justice is about to serve customer number one!"

She pulls back and hurls the shield forward, but one of the Heartless twitches its wrist and knocks the weapon away, sending it flying into the dirt like an uncaught Frisbee.

Sora rushes forward with the Keyblade ready, grunting out a battle cry as he aims a swing for a Bandit's head. The creature raises its own weapon to block, unfortunately, and turns the Keyblade aside, then steps forward for a retaliatory slash.

Sora blocks, and moves the sword out of his way, but a pair of Bandits rush past and head for Azlyn, who slides out of the way of one sword strike and barely dodges another, lashing out with a kick that sends the nearest Heartless stumbling into its companion. Telary calls down a lightning spell and skewers both with a single bolt.

But another Bandit is already on the move, snapping a kick from its small but powerful leg to the mage's face, then slashing straight at him with its blade. Telary barely interposes his staff to keep from getting bisected.

Sora and his opponent continue to trade blows, but the Heartless is clearly working with much greater strength than the Keybearer, driving him back.

Azlyn goes for her deflected shield, but finds herself blocked by the efforts of the fifth Bandit. She jinks and jukes, but the creature seems more than well prepared, mirroring her movements as she makes them.

She moves quickly and jumps, executing half a flip, placing her hands on the bandit's shoulders, and vaulting over its head, lashing out with a back-kick before she lands, sending it to the sandy ground.

It recovers and rises, but by then Azlyn has her shield picked up and ready, ramming into the Heartless and sending it flying into a stall selling various bejeweled items, knocking a support beam down and sending it all collapsing on its head.

Telary has his opponent down with a burst of fire, and Sora finally manages to find an opening to swipe the Bandit he's been confronting since the battle began directly in the head, ending its threat.

More footsteps can be heard, a greater clamor than even the one that announced the last group's arrival.

Azlyn turns to face the sound and readies her shield, but at a look from Sora, Telary taps her on the shoulder and gestures to a nearby alley.

"What!" Azlyn whisper-screams, looking defiantly angry at her mage friend. "You can't be serious! We can…"

"Fine!" Telary shoots back in low, careful tones, already inching towards escape. "You can fight more of these guy if you want, but…"

The knight rolls her eyes even as she settles her shield into the magnetic plate on her back. "Fine, fine. Y'know, you don't always have to be so passive-aggressive about everything!"

The pair move quickly to join Sora, who is already crouched in the alley behind some crates for cover. They wait there for almost a full minute, Azlyn risking a peek over the top of to observe. The Heartless stand in their group and glance around until, apparently satisfied, they continue their patrol of the desert city.

After they're gone, the trio emerge from their hiding places to discuss a next move.

"Those Heartless are tougher than the kind we're used to," Sora admits with a frown, replaying his swordfight over again in his mind.

"Organized too," Telary agrees. "I'll bet it won't be long until another patrol comes along. If we had time I could try and work out a pattern…"

"So you're saying we should keep hiding?" Azlyn scoffs, pursing her lips angrily.

"It's probably the best course of action," Telary confirms, though he doesn't look at his companion. "Safest."

The knight sighs but moves toward the alley, her shoulders hunched slightly. The boys follow along after her.

The backstreets and alleyways of Agrabah are a confusing maze, and the presence of Heartless patrolling in groups doesn't make it any easier. The trio moves about the city for perhaps half-an-hour, and in that time they face numerous dead ends.

Azlyn stops them eventually, fed up with running into high sandstone walls like the one they're facing now at the end of an alleyway. Other than a few crates stacked in one corner, it's empty.

"Great plan, guys," she grumbles, kicking at the ground and rustling up a cloud of sand and dirt. "We've managed to avoid the Heartless, but we're also completely lost!"

"You never know where the Keyhole could be found," Telary defends weakly, grimacing as soon as he realizes he brittle nature of his argument.

"Down some random alley?" Sora chimes in, skeptical. "So far it seems like Keyholes show up in pretty special places. I bet it's in that big palace."

"Great theory, Sora," Azlyn says, though her sneer places a little doubt of her sincerity in Sora. "Now if only we could get there! I'll bet if we…"

"Hello?" a soft voice calls out, interrupting the knight and startling everyone. Turning to the source of the voice, the trio sees a girl poke her head out from behind the crates in the corner.

Telary takes point. "Uh, hi there! I'm Telary, and these are my friends Azlyn and Sora."

"Jasmine," the young woman says as she emerges from her hiding spot. "My father is the sultan of Agrabah."

"So, you're a princess?" Sora inquires, a bit awestruck to be meeting actual royalty. The wonders of the universe never seem to cease.

"Yes," she replies, but then looks away nervously. "I mean, I suppose I still am. My father's royal vizier Jafar and his band of strange raiders rule the city now, after deposing him. He's still locked up in the palace, or at least I think…"

"How did you escape?" Azlyn asks.

Once again, a dreamy look passes over the princess's face. "I wasn't at the palace at the time. I'd actually gone out only a day earlier, my first time. When word came of Jafar's attack, _he_ helped me…"

"He who?"

"Aladdin." The wistful smile that briefly brightens Jasmine's face disappears quickly, the cloud of worry returning to her face. "We were together, and he helped me escape the raiders, but… Then he went off into the desert. He said he had something to take care of…"

"As do I, dear princess."

The voice comes down from above, and everyone looks up to see Jafar, standing atop the roof of a building a few feet off the ground, sneering at those below him. Behind him a twitching cadre of Bandit Heartless restlessly prepare for battle.

"After all, it isn't safe for a princess such as yourself to be wandering the streets," the vizier continues with a condescending sneer. "And in the company of lowlifes such as these…"

"Lowlifes!" Azlyn yells up at the robed man, shaking her fist at him. "We're not the ones using the Heartless to take over a city and kill a bunch of people!"

"I suppose it depends on where one is standing, my dear." Jafar's smirk turns into a smile, happily realizing that he may be crushing all the birds that vex him with a single stone. "And I have the high ground!"

"Jasmine, run!" Sora cries, and the princess dashes away as the Heartless, three in all, leap to the ground with downward swings of their swords.

Sora, Azlyn, and Telary all jump back instinctively, evading the blades. Sora rushes forward and cuts down one before it can raise its weapon again, but the other pair barrel into Azlyn and Telary, pushing them back.

Sora whirls around to help his friends, only to find himself knocked forward by a kick from another Bandit, leaping from the building and planting its foot in his spine.

Azlyn blocks a blade and punches her Heartless, and Telary barely gets a shield spell up in time to block a blow.

Sora nearly stumbles into his companions, and as he turns to face the Heartless once again, he finds that several more have joined the forces already arrayed against the trio, and more are leaping down from the rooftop even now.

"Too many," he grunts, scowling at the veritable horde coming down against them. "We can't…"

"So what, we're going to run and hide?" Azlyn scoffs, turning aside a blade with her shield.

"Don't think of it that way," Telary advises, bashing a Bandit in the head with a two-handed blow. "Think of it as more of a, uh, tactical retreat."

The knight almost protests against the lame excuse, but a punch to her face silences the objection. Telary helps her recover while Sora knocks back a Heartless, then fires a blizzard spell in front of him, freezing two Heartless and leaving the creatures blocked for a moment.

Realizing it's their only chance, the trio tactically retreat down the alley.

They can hear their pursuers behind them, seemingly an entire horde of Heartless feet charging them. The trio winds through the twisting, turning alleyways at top speed, but without an effective knowledge of the cityscape, it seems to be only a matter of time until…

New footsteps sound, but these are coming from the opposite direction, surely to cut the group off. Escape seems more impossible now than ever, until at the last second Telary finds a way to save them.

A long thin pole runs up the outside of a dilapidated sand brown building, leading up to a large hole and a possible refuge.

"Guys!" the mage shouts to get his partner's attention. They turn to him and he runs for the pole, scrambling up it at top speed. The pair catch on quickly and follow along after.

They make it, but barely, Azlyn only just managing to squeak her foot in before the hordes beneath arrive and find an empty sandlot where their prey should be.

Sora watches discreetly from above as the leaders of both groups seem to converse for a bit, before splitting off once more, each cohort searching a different alleyway leading off the lot.

"Gone," the Keybearer reports with a heavy sigh of relief, leaning up against the wall and sliding down, relaxing a bit more with every inch. He'd faced Heartless before, but the sheer number of foes arrayed against him in the city streets…

A loud thump sounds from somewhere in the trio's hideaway. It's shabby as all get-out, with chunks of sandstone rubble lying where they've fallen, the wooden beams above looking half rotted. A small, rough bed stuffed with straw lies in the corner, so apparently someone else has been squatting here.

The thump sounds again, and Telary moves to investigate the source. Lying in the eastern quadrant of the room is an overturned cabinet of some kind, made of dark stained wood. Underneath, a large square of carpet seems to be struggling to escape.

"Um," Azlyn says as the first word, frowning at the scene before her, "is everyone else seeing the carpet moving?"

"Yep, I sure am," Telary replies with a bit of a nervous chuckle, and Sora moves off his position at the wall and goes in for a closer look. The carpet is deep blue with a purple and gold bit around the inside edge, and shining golden thread around the exterior. The two tassels are flapping around, struggling for something, probably a way to find release. "So what do we do about it?"

"Uh, we should help it out!" Sora answers as if it's the most obvious thing in the universe, he's seen hundreds of carpets in need of rescue. The boy gives the cabinet a stern push, flipping it over and freeing the stuck rug.

The carpet takes to the air, accidentally knocking one tassel into the face of a shocked Azlyn, who barely reacts. It floats for a moment before coming down to rest on two tassels, flapping the other pair madly in some sort of odd pantomime.

Telary is the first to regain composure, blinking hard to clear his head. "Well, this is no good."

"How do you mean?" Sora asks out of the corner of his mouth, eyes focused on the agitated throw's every movement.

"I stink at charades."

The carpet sags forward in apparent disappointment. Then it suddenly perks up once more, rising into the air and flying towards the mattress in the corner. It grabs something sitting next to it, which turns out to be a small wooden chest.

"It says something on it," Sora points out when the object is dropped in his hands. "I'm not sure if I'm making this out right, but I think it says 'Aladdin'?"

"Aladdin!" Azlyn exclaims, elbowing Telary aside to stand by Sora and examine the chest. "That's the name of the guy Jasmine said helped her escape."

"Yeah, and then he went into…" Telary begins, achieving a triumphant "eureka" moment halfway through his thought. "The desert! He had something to take care of he said. Maybe…"

"Something took care of him," Sora finishes gravely. Noticing the carpet is moving again, he looks up to see it rise into the air once more, lying flat in front of the boy. "I think it wants us to get on." A ripple runs through the rug, most likely signaling an affirmative. It lowers itself to a height at which Sora can step on. "C'mon. This Aladdin guy might be in trouble!"

The mage and the knight share a cautious look with one another, but Telary shrugs and takes a seat on the carpet, and Azlyn follows his lead.

The trio rise into the air on the magic carpet, and with an intense rush of air to their faces, take off through the hole in the hovel, and into the desert.

They fly for perhaps an hour, the sun lowering a bit from its prime noontime position in the sky, though still beating down a blistering heat that Telary has to expend magic to protect the trio from.

Finally they arrive at a ring of large rocks, in the middle of which rests a swirling sinkhole of sand. As the carpet takes them down, Azlyn points out that there seems to be someone trapped in it.

They land and the trio take up positions at the edge of the sand hole, peering in at the young, tan-skinned man trapped inside. About half of his body has been claimed, with most of his torso exposed to the open air. _Very _exposed, as all he seem to be wearing is a vest of deep purple. His black hair haphazardly frames his face, which seems almost peaceful.

Next to the man, also entrenched, is a small brown-furred monkey dressed in similar attire as its master.

"He's totally knocked out," Azlyn points out, cocking her head to examine the angles of their current problem, "so I wouldn't count on a lot of help from him."

"Maybe if we just got his attention," Telary suggests, cupping his hands around his mouth. "Excuse me sir. Sir! Are you aware that you're trapped in a sinkhole, sir?"

Aladdin's eyes flutter a bit, but other than that there's no response. Telary takes a step back and scratches at his chin, flustered by the problem he cannot surmount.

"I guess yelling isn't gonna work," Azlyn says, then glances at Telary and gets struck by an idea. With a quick swipe of her hand, the knight plucks Telary's staff out of his holster, eliciting a yelp of surprise and indignation from the mage. The girl ignores her companion and moves forward, holding the staff out as far as she can.

She knocks it into the boy's head, shaking him back to reality. He blinks a few times, clearing stray sand particles from his eyes, then looks up to his rescuer/attacker.

By the time he has recovered, it should be noted, Azlyn has handed Telary's staff off back to him and assumed an innocent look and pose.

"Uh, hi there," Sora greets the young man awkwardly, giving him a little wave.

"Hey," Aladdin replies, nodding to the group so nonchalantly one would hardly believe him halfway trapped in sinking sand.

"Your carpet brought us here," Telary explains, stuffing his staff back into its holster. "To rescue you, I suppose."

"And how's that going?"

Telary grimaces and shakes his head. "To be perfectly honest, not great. We're going to figure out a way to help eventually but…"

"No problem!" the young man replies cheerfully, his arm beginning to wiggle in the sand. "Just sit back and, hmm… Okay, here we go!"

A puff of blue smoke explodes upwards out of the sand, startling the trio back a step. The smoke rises and expands, until a barrel-chested blue torso emerges from it. The creature that comes forth is a bit on the wider side, with a friendly blue face and large blue arms that end in blue hands, a single golden cuff on each wrist. Around his waist is some kind of red cloth, and a black as night ponytail protrudes from the back of his head.

"HELLO WORLD, HERE'S A SONG THAT WE'RE SINGIN'… COME ON GET _GENIE!" _The blue man sings (To the tune of "Get Happy" by the Partridge Family) cheerfully as the smoke fades, revealing that beneath the red cloth around his waist is nothing but a wispy blue tail. "A WHOLE LOTTA WISHES IS WHAT WE'LL BE GIVIN', COME ON GET _GENIE!_"

This stuns Sora, Azlyn, and Telary even more than the flying carpet did.

"Well, Al," the genie sighs as he observes the young man's predicament, "it looks like you could use a bit of help there, don't it?"

"Yeah, Genie," Aladdin admits, nodding, "I sure could."

"Well, you know what to do, don't ya?"

"After that musical number down in the cave, how could I forget? Genie, I wish to be free of this sandpit. Oh, Abu too!"

"No problemo, kiddo," Genie answers with a flick of his wrist. "Your wish is my command!" The magical being rises higher into the air, and in a puff of smoke transforms into a large round flying saucer, blinking lights all along the edge. His face can still be seen as well, sitting where the cockpit stereotypically lies on such ships. Suddenly a blue beam shines down onto the trapped boy and his monkey. They begin to rise almost immediately, Abu coming to and shrieking in fear as he realizes he's getting higher.

Genie moves away from the pit, and Aladdin and Abu drop to the sandy ground, no worse for wear. In another puff of smoke, Genie returns to his normal shape.

"Thanks for the assist, Genie," Aladdin thanks his rescuer, though he has to admit he has no idea what the big flying disk was all about.

"Oh, stop it," Genie says, affecting a blush. "I was just doing my job, is all."

"What the hell is that thing?" Azlyn demands, jabbing a finger at Genie. "And where can I get one?"

Aladdin chuckles. "Well, this here is…"

"Al, puh-lease," Genie interjects, floating in front of the boy, "leave the intros to the professionals." He grins and waves his arm, setting off colorful explosions of confetti all around him. "I am the one and only, Genie of _the lamp!_" In a puff Genie disappears and reappears behind Aladdin, waving the arm that holds a small golden lamp in the air. "All you gotta do is give my lamp here a bit of a rub-dub-rubbity-roo, and all your dearest wishes can be granted. Assuming you only have three dear wishes, of course!" Another puff of smoke, and suddenly Genie is attired in a swanky tuxedo, and a neon light archway is behind Aladdin. There's a smoke puff in his hand, and suddenly a giant check appears in his hands, Aladdin's name signed across the bottom. Across most of it read the words "Three Wishes". "Today's lucky winner is Mr. Aladdin of Agrabah. Let's give him a hand!" Aladdin takes the presented check and, of course, one of Genie's hands along with it.

"Three wishes, huh?" Azlyn asks, a mischievous grin coming to her face. "_Any_ three wishes?"

As he hears the knight's words, Sora can only think about how convenient it would be to just wish to find Kairi and Riku. Telary thinks about finding the king, and Azlyn is naturally thinking of munny to be made.

"Not so fast there, friend-o," Genie corrects, holding out a STOP sign that suddenly appears in his hand. "There are of course a few ground rules."

"Of course," Azlyn grumbles. Nothing is ever simple in her life.

"Firs off, I can't kill anybody," Genie slices off his own head as an example. "I can't use my powers to make people fall in love." His head transforms into a heart balloon that floats up to his neck before getting popped by an arrow, leaving his head on his shoulders once again. "And I can't bring people back from the dead."

Telary shrieks as he notices several skeletons rising from the sand, but Genie snaps his fingers and they're done away with in a flash.

"For some reason they always come back craving the taste of human flesh." He shrugs, then turns to address the reader directly.

"And of course," he says to you with a sly wink, "I can't grant any wishes that might instantly resolve the story's central conflict. That would just be cheap!"

He turns back to the confused group and smiles. "Other than that, anything's pretty much fair game!" His smile widens as he turns back to Aladdin, gripping his tail and shoving the suddenly microphoned end into his face. "So, my master, what'll it be for wish number two?"

Aladdin thinks it over for a second, then snaps his fingers as an idea comes to him. "How about making me a fabulously wealthy prince?"

Genie hoots and hollers as he rises into the air, ecstatic to fulfill such a grand request, already envisioning all of the things he can do. Azlyn also seems to approve of the idea, though she may just be thinking of the things _she _would like to wish for.

"Oh, Al!" he croons, spinning in a circle. "This is the wishing jackpot! You'll need servants, of course, at least a hundred, and perhaps some camels…"

"Uh, maybe we should hold off on that one, huh?" Aladdin suggests. "After all, things seemed pretty dire in Agrabah when I left to find your lamp."

"That's true," Sora interjects, nodding sadly as he thinks back to the empty state of the desert city. "Nobody's out on the streets but Heartless, and some guy named Jafar is in charge, and, uh…"

"That princess chick is on the run," Azlyn adds. "They would've got her too, if it wasn't for us…"

"Wait!" Aladdin interrupts sounding worried. "Did you say 'princess'? Are you talking about Princess Jasmine?"

"Yeah," Telary confirms. "She's in real trouble, Aladdin. She got away from Jafar with our help, but…"

"We've gotta help her!" the boy declares, whistling to get Carpet ready for action. The purple throw straightens out and prepares for boarding. Aladdin gives Genie a look. "Might have to rethink that second wish, Genie. But we need to get back to Agrabah first."

The big blue magic man shrugs easily. "No skin off my back, kid. The more time out in the open air the better, far as I'm concerned."

"Thanks Genie."

Everyone boards the carpet, and they take off into the clear blue afternoon sky.


	19. Arabian Nights

The journey back to Agrabah continues apace, Carpet carrying the travelers at a steady but not overly taxing speed, and Genie drifting alongside. The big blue lug seems to really enjoy the opportunity, taking deep breaths of desert air and doing corkscrews, whooping happily all the while.

Telary, leaning back and enjoying the air on his face himself, looks over to him. "You sure seem to like the desert, Genie."

"Don't get out much?" Azlyn asks with a smirk.

"Heh, I wish!" Genie answers, turning another corkscrew through the open air.

"But you've got unlimited power," Aladdin points out, a slight frown on his face. "Surely you can go wherever you want."

Genie sighs and shakes his head. "You'd think that, huh? But, part of the whole genie gig is being cramped up in that lamp, waiting for a new master to come along and give me a rub. I'm lucky if I get out in the world every hundred years or so."

"That sounds awful," Sora says sympathetically, pulling a face at the thought of being so limited. Even when he'd felt trapped on the islands, he hadn't felt _that _trapped.

"It is." Genie grows huge, darkening the skies above with the might of his magic. "PHENOMINAL COSMIC POWER!" A line of blue smoke flies down into the lamp, and the lid pops off, revealing Genie, stuffed into the small space. "Itty bitty living space." As quickly as he got in, Genie exits the lamp and returns to normal size, still frowning. "Three wishes, and then it's back to my portable prison."

"Isn't there any way to get out of that deal?" Azlyn asks. "I thought genies were gaga for loopholes. It's one of the things I admire them for!"

"Well, there is one way, but…" Genie transforms his body into a large fist, thumb down. "The only way I can break my deal is if my master wishes me free. And you can imagine how many people are willing to do that."

"I wouldn't be," Azlyn comments flatly, drawing a glare from Telary.

Aladdin seems to be deep in thought, scratching his chin. "Say, Genie. What if I used one of _my _wishes to set you free?"

Genie stops dead, and Carpet reacts accordingly, leaving the group floating in the middle of the desert. Agrabah can't even be seen on the horizon.

"Y-you would do that? For me!" Genie flicks his wrist and suddenly the whole party is in a darkly lit club, Sora, Telary, and Azlyn sitting at one table, and Aladdin at a table of his own near a low stage, a spotlight shining down on him. On stage, Genie stands dressed in a sparkly sequined dress, blonde hair piled atop his head. Carpet is off to one side with a violin.

"DID YOU EVER KNOW THAT YOU'RE MY HEROOOOOO!" Genie wails into the microphone he's clutching. "YOU'RE EVERYTHING I WOULD LIKE TO BEEEEEEEEEEE! I CAN FLY HIGH ON WINGS LIKE EAGLES, YOU ARE THE WIND BENEATH MY WINGS!"

The few lines are all he gives, and at the end Sora, Azlyn, and Telary explode into applause, a tear reflecting light in the mage's right eye. The Genie takes a deep bow. By the time he comes out of it, the club has faded away and they're back to floating in the desert.

Genie vigorously pumps Aladdin's hand with a great big smile. "Oh Al, I can't believe you'd really do that for me!"

"Hey, no problem!" Genie lets go of the young man's hand and he gets serious once again. "It's a promise, but only after we help Jasmine."

They continue on to Agrabah.

**KH-KH-KH**

As they land in Aladdin's hovel, twilight blanketing the city in orange tones, Sora is explaining a bit about Jafar's goals to Aladdin.

"So Jafar is looking for this 'Keyhole' thing, huh?" the young street rat says.

"Yep," the Keybearer answers. "I was thinking it might be in the palace, but it could be anywhere."

"Keyhole, hm," Genie mutters, scratching his chin, deep in thought. "You know, I could have sworn I'd heard something about that… Huh."

"Can you remember anything?" Telary asks, intrigued to have a several thousand years old memory to call on.

Genie reaches behind him and pulls out a massive, leather bound book labeled "Memories", at least a foot thick with pages. With a grunt he opens it, revealing a large picture of him emerging from a cake, clad only in a red veil over his face. He shrieks and flips a page, this one showing a picture of him with his head in the mouth of a lion. "Uh, let's just pretend you guys didn't see that, okay?"

"We'll worry about the Keyhole later," Aladdin declares, slamming a fist into his open palm. "First we rescue Jasmine. And for that, we'll need to get into the palace."

"Easy peasey, Mister Master," Genie chimes in, dismissing the big book of memories with a flick of one finger. "Just say the word and I'll have you in the palace in a flash!"

Aladdin shakes his head. "I can't waste a wish like that, Genie. I'm sure I can get us into the palace no problem."

"I dunno," Sora interjects nervously. "With regular guards, sure, but I bet it'll be crawling with Heartless…"

"What we need," Azlyn says, screwing up her face deep in thought, "is a distraction…"

**KH-KH-KH**

Night has fallen over Agrabah, and two Bandits stand guard at the gates of the palace, on orders from Jafar to keep out any who might attempt to enter. It would be boring work for most, but these creatures know no boredom, no weariness. They could stand at the gates until the walls fell around them.

Still, something inside of them is a bit relieved when they see a pair of figures in dark robes inching their way down the street. Each of the robes has naught but a hand sticking out, clutching tin cups.

"Alms!" The closest of them cries out in a thin, reedy voice. "Alms for the poor! Alms!"

They approach the gates, apparently unafraid of the Heartless, which gives the creatures pause. In their experience, _everyone _is afraid of them!

"Young man," the beggar addresses the leftmost bandit, shaking her empty cup. "Spare a piece for an old beggar woman." She stops in front of the Heartless. It looks to her identical companion behind her, then to its companion, then back. "You look like such a nice boy. I'll bet you…"

Irritated, the Heartless reaches out and grabs the edge of the woman's hood, giving it a rough tug that sends her stumbling forward.

A bad move, it soon realizes as it deals with a face full of monkey.

The creature rears back, scratching at its turban clad face with one hand, managing to miss Abu every time it tries to get a hold of the mad primate. Its partner is unsure of how to react. Luckily, it doesn't have much time to think.

With a loud cry, Azlyn throws off her robe, and Telary follows suit behind her. Taking advantage of the Bandit's Abu-induced distraction, she slashes her shield forward, cutting it in half. The other is so startled that it's an easy matter to take its head off with another flick of the shield.

"Hey _Heartless!_" Azlyn calls out, Abu's high pitched screeching joining her. "Get a load of this!"

She nods to Telary, who raises his staff high into the air. After another nod, he begins to prepare mentally for the task he's about to undertake.

"Thunder!" he yells, and the tip of his held-high staff sparks, throwing invisible energy into the atmosphere.

Energy trapped in the heavens responds in kind, and a glowing streak of pure white electricity flies down from the sky like the wrath of an angry god, striking the sand in front of the palace.

The force sends sand flying in all directions through the air, and in another brilliant flash, turns most of the grains to solid, twinkling glass.

To say that this causes a stir among the Heartless guards set up along the palace walls is a bit of an understatement. Every available Bandit makes immediately for the site of the strange explosion, a thunderous running of footsteps so heavy the wall itself rattles slightly.

It's enough that Aladdin nearly lets go of the rope he and Sora are using to scale the wall into the palace, but luckily he manages to maintain grip. The pair make it up and over the wall easily enough.

"Are you sure Azlyn and Telary are going to be okay?" Aladdin asks his new friend as he touches down on the other side of the palace walls. They're in a small garden courtyard, once lush, but now seeming to be in desperate need of sustenance, plantlife growing all around. In the center sits a stone fountain, dry as a bone.

Sora chuckles a bit, smiling fondly. "They'll be fine. They've handled Heartless before, and Telary will know when it's a good time to drag Azlyn outta there. Besides, they've got Abu to help!"

"But who will help _you_, street rat?" Jafar's mocking voice rings out from the garden entrance. Sora and Aladdin whirl to see him standing there with a cruel sneer on his face. Kneeling beside him is a terrified Princess Jasmine, held in check by a Bandit Heartless. The sword positioned above her neck makes what will happen if the heroes make any sudden moves abundantly clear. "It seems you've come a bit too late to rescue your fair princess from the jaws of the Heartless! Then again, what else could be expected from an urchin like you?"

Aladdin scowls back at the skinny vizier, but his expression softens as he looks down at Jasmine, rendered helpless by the Heartless. It's such a far cry from the strong-willed, spirited girl he'd met in the Agrabah bazaar just days ago, which only serves to further fuel his anger.

"Urchin, huh?" he shoots back at Jafar, tearing his eyes away from the troubled princess. Reaching behind his back, he rests a hand on Genie's lamp. A single rub is all it takes to call upon his trump card. "Genie! My second wish is that you rescue Jasmine!"

In a flash the Genie appears behind Jasmine. He flicks his pointer finger and a large broom appears, brushing aside the Heartless holding Jasmine down. With that taken care of, he floats down and takes the startled girl in his arms, cradling her as he rises into the air.

"Geeze, Al," the Genie remarks, shaking his blue head, "one wish left and you've thrown me nothin' but softballs! Couldn't we have at least _tried _the prince thing?"

"Impressive," Jafar says, looking the Genie up and down, something manic in his eyes that neither Sora nor Aladdin can decipher. "But I'm afraid your second wish is about to be…denied!"

As soon as the word passes the vizier's lips, Aladdin hears a squawk from behind him. In the next moment, the feeling of the lamp leaves his hands, and the brightly colored parrot Iago flies out from behind his back, the lamp clutched in his small yellow talons. He crosses the distance and drops the lamp in his master's hands.

"Uh oh!" is all Genie has time to say before he begins to return to his blue smoke form, drifting into the lamp. Jasmine falls to the ground and lands with an exclamation of surprise.

"Farewell, street rat," Jafar laughs maniacally. He waves his staff and suddenly a pair of nearby pots both sprout spindly legs, blue pincers, and a large stinger tail, moving forward, claws snapping, to engage the heroes. With a cruel smirk, Jafar waves his staff once more, and he and Jasmine fade away, leaving nothing behind.

"Jasmine!" Aladdin screams, rushing forward. He doesn't get far, though, one of the Pot Scorpions scuttling after him on its insectoid legs, knocking him to the ground hard.

Sora moves to help his friend, only barely managing to get the Keyblade up in time to bat away the scorpion's stinger. He moves it down quickly then to deflect several consecutive strikes from the creature's claws, but is forced back by the power of the blows.

The other Pot Scorpion has taken advantage of his distraction to move around to his other side, striking out with its pincer and nearly succeeding in taking the boy's arm off. Not wanting to stay surrounded, Sora rolls out of the path of both creatures, rising and holding the Keyblade parallel to the ground in a defensive posture.

The Heartless circle around, swinging their pincers testily and forcing Sora to react, flinching at each twitch. Finally, one of them charges, pincers snapping open and shut at insane speeds, headed straight for the Keybearer.

He's only saved by Azlyn, who barrels into the pot with both feet, knocking it back so hard that it flips over and lands on its "head", squirming and thrashing in a desperate attempt to right itself.

Glancing left, Sora can see Telary taking on the other Pot Scorpion with Aladdin's help, though the mage's contribution is dubious, clinging for dear life to the creature's tail, his entire body wrapped around it while the Heartless swings it about in an attempt to dislodge him.

A throw from Azlyn's shield takes care of the flipped Scorpion, and Abu has taken advantage of Telary's distraction to wrap the other's legs in twine, causing it to fall over and thus be easy prey for Telary's staff.

"He took Jasmine!" Aladdin yells in anger, his voice betraying his clear hurting. "Where would he take her? _Why_ would he?"

"I'm guessing he didn't find the Keyhole in the palace," Azlyn posits, noting the fact that Agrabah hasn't yet been consigned to doom and Darkness. "So I'll bet he'd go wherever else he thought it could be."

"So we have no idea," Sora sighs, defeated. The situation is beginning to call to mind how Alice had been snatched from underneath their noses in Wonderland, and all the bad feelings associated with that event are beginning to bubble up again. Some hero he's turning out to be, if he can't even rescue young women in distress.

"It'll be somewhere important," Telary says, directing the discussion to Aladdin, who surely knows the ins-and-outs of his world far better than the trio does. "And considering how hard it's been to find, the place would have to be well hidden too."

Aladdin looks up at the offworlders, a hard, determined look in his eyes. "There's only one place. The same place I found Carpet and the lamp. The Cave of Wonders."

Aladdin whistles to summon Carpet, who flies down from the skies not seconds later. The group hops on and rises back into the air, speeding off from the city out to the desert, Carpet pushing itself further than it ever has before.

The journey takes much less time than it had initially, but the last vestiges of creeping sunlight have already disappeared, leaving the desert cold and desolate, the only light coming off the myriad number of stars shining up above.

When they once again reach the area encircled by stones, Carpet begins its descent, touching down lightly in the middle of the seemingly empty area.

"So," Azlyn says, looking around skeptically at the bare area, "are we supposed to start digging, or…?"

She doesn't get a chance to finish her snark, as the ground begins to shake and shift, nearly throwing all but Aladdin, who is prepared for such an effect, to the sandy ground.

A huge mound of sand piles together, growing larger and large until it towers over the group. As it grows, its shape becomes better defined, sharp points and smooth planes appearing as if guided by the hand of some invisible sculptor.

Eventually the ground ceases to shake and the intended form can be clearly seen: the head of a tiger, staring intently down at the quartet with glowing yellow eyes, a sense of seriousness and power inherent in their gaze. Old eyes that have seen much, and have not been impressed.

"WHO DARES DISTURB MY SLUMBER?" it asks in a deep, booming voice, orange light shining from deep within the tiger's throat with every opening and closing of his mouth, blazing down on the fearful group like a spotlight.

Aladdin steps forward, shoulders squared, posture tight, not giving away the slightest hint of hesitation or fear. Sora, Azlyn, and Telary are all in awe of his composure.

"It is I, Aladdin!" the street rat declares boldly, staring up impassively at the cave's guardian. Any fear or hesitation he may feel is banished immediately by his need to ensure Jasmine's safety. "The Diamond in the Rough. I have entered before, and now I will enter again!"

For a moment the cave guardian just stares, completely still as it apparently contemplates its choice.

"You may enter, worthy one," it says after a few seconds of deliberation. Aladdin sighs and sags in relief, no longer needing to maintain his calm façade.

Sora and his group step up as well, bringing the attention of the guardian back down to them.

"And what worth have you?" the Cave asks, its eyes intensity increasing with every word.

Sora hesitates for a moment, knowing with certainty that if he doesn't give a good answer, this may be a short, disappointing trip. But, within moments, he realizes what answer he needs to give.

"I," he says, reaching out his hand and focusing, calling his weapon, "am the wielder of the Keyblade! I seek the Keyhole."

The tiger head relaxes, leaning back and kicking up a few spurts of sand as it does. "Enter, Keybearer. I have waited many long centuries for your arrival."

And just like that, the construct becomes inanimate, its mouth opening wide to reveal an orange glow from within, and a stairway leading down into its depths.

Aladdin steps up with little hesitation, but the offworld trio is a bit more wary of putting themselves literally in the tiger's mouth. But Sora knows he can ill afford to waste time being scared, not if he wants to succeed with Jasmine where he'd failed with Alice.

Azlyn steps up quickly, then notices that Telary is frozen behind her, looking nervous and visibly shaking. Sighing and rolling her eyes, she steps up to the tiger's lip and reaches a hand down for her counterpart.

"Do you trust me?" she asks after noticing that his shaking hasn't eased yet.

"Huh?"

"Do you trust me?" she repeats, a soft look in her eyes that she rarely allows.

The mage offers his hand up, half-smiling. "Yes, I do."

They're all in now, making their way down the stairs, of which there seem to be a great many.

"So, Aladdin," Sora asks to pass the time, "what's in this cave anyway, besides the lamp and Keyhole? Did you just walk right in and take it, or…"

"There wasn't much, actually," the boy answers with a shrug. "A bunch of empty rooms. Lots of creepy statues. And then of course there was the treasure room…"

"Treasure!" Azlyn exclaims, eyes brightening and mouth curving into a smile that would shame the Cheshire Cat. "You mean, like, _treasure _treasure?"

"Is there any other kind?" Aladdin replies with a chuckle. "Gold, silver, jewels, you name it. All piled up in one big room. I'd swear the sultan himself didn't have that much. Three sultans!"

"Yikes!" Telary bursts out, startling himself by slipping on an odd wet patch on the staircase and nearly going head over heels. He moves on, unaware that he'd nearly just wiped out on Azlyn's drool. "If you had all that treasure in your sights, Aladdin, why did you ignore it for the lamp?"

"Legends said that the cave had something 'greater than gold' inside," the street rat answers. "And I figured it'd be impossible to take all that stuff with me when I left." Abu jabbers something. "Yes, Abu, even with you helping."

The group reaches the bottom of the stairwell, emerging through a small door into a large cavern. Half the cavern is made of dull brown brick, a few platforms rising here and there. The other half is just a black expanse of nothingness, leading down into shadowy depths too deep to fathom. At the far end is another rectangular door, leading to the next chamber.

"Huh," Aladdin says, scratching his head and looking around the room. "It's all different from the last time. When I first came through, there were a bunch of big stone statues of guys holding swords. They kept swinging them down and I had to dodge them. Abu nearly lost his tail."

"Some kind of magically randomizing environment?" Telary posits, thinking over the details of such a spell in his head, and finding them too vast to grasp. Perhaps the Genie himself would have the raw magical power necessary, but why would he design his own, for lack of a better term, prison?

Sora notices writing on one of the stone platforms rising from the ground. It's an odd language that he has absolutely no frame of reference for deciphering. Still…

"Cetra," he breathes out, feeling strangely like it wasn't even his mouth that formed the word.

"Gesundheit," Azlyn replies, patting the boy on the shoulder and breaking him out of his reverie. He looks back at her with a confused look, and she meets it with one of her own, backing away slowly. "So where's this treasure, eh? All I see is some fancy interior decorating!"

Aladdin shrugs, nearly dislodging a perturbed Abu. "Like I said, Azlyn, this place is completely different now than when I visited alone. The treasure could even not be here anymore."

The knight frowns. Maybe it's selfish, or ignorant of the bigger picture or whatever, but Azlyn can't help but think she deserves _some_ sort of reward for traipsing all around the universe playing second fiddle to some backwater chosen one.

"You know what I mean?" she grouses to the Heartless standing next to her. Then she realizes that there's a Heartless standing next to her! Instantly her shield is out and swinging, bashing the Bandit in the face and sending it staggering back a few steps. "Boys! Company!"

The boys are already well aware, weapons out and ready. Aladdin even brandishes a large scimitar it seems he acquired at some point.

The Heartless have formed a fairly solid wall near the exit, the usual selection of Bandits and Shadows, apparently lead by a large, round Heartless in blue harem pants and an orange vest.

"This definitely didn't happen on my last trip!" Aladdin says, even as Sora leaps forward to bring his Keyblade down on a pair of Shadows.

The attack is successful, but unfortunately places him directly in front of the Large Bandit, which stares down at the boy with the same blank expression all Heartless wear. The boy takes a step back and raises his Keyblade, but that's no use against the puff of flame that flies from the creature's mouth.

Sora cries out and stumbles back several steps, each one moving him closer to the edge of the platform and the abyss below. Then, with one final flailing stride, the Keybearer plunges into the blackness below, screaming all the while.

Azlyn knocks her opponent in the face with her shield and rushes over to the ledge, looking down for some sign of Sora. After a moment, she swears she can hear a faint splash.

"Sora's down!" she cries, notifying the still struggling Telary and Aladdin. "He fell, but… I thought I heard a splash! He might be okay…"

Aladdin slashes all the way through a Bandit with his sword, then dives to the edge, tumbling over into the blackness after Sora.

"Really?" Azlyn yells over the sound of Telary firing off a thunder spell in hopes of gaining them a moment's reprieve. She turns to see him running towards her, breathing heavily. "We're doing this? Well, I guess that answers the age old question, 'If Sora fell off a cliff, would you…'?"

She doesn't get to the end of her quipping, because by the time she reaches it Telary has barreled into her and sent them both tumbling into the unknown pit.

They fall for a scant few seconds, landing with a booming splash below. It takes a moment to recover from the shock of the water's impact and temperature, but when they've both gotten over it, the pair surface, each taking a deep breath.

"Hey guys," Sora greets the pair, smiling broadly down at them.

The cavern they've landed in is very blue, tiny lights seeming to come out of the large central pool they all landed in. Blue stone makes up the walls stretching upward, and the floor is similarly colored. A long tunnel continues on into more blackness.

"That's what I really love about this quest," Azlyn sighs, letting Aladdin help her out of the water. "All the nice places I get to go."

"Just keep thinking about that treasure, Az," Sora offers by way of condolence, grinning. She adopts one of her own, thinking wistfully about the gold that awaits.

"Which we will _see_ about gathering for ourselves _after_ we rescue Jasmine," Telary says, shaking his head to dislodge the water trapped inside his ears and hair. "After all, traipsing around with gold-laden pockets probably isn't very conducive to defeating evil sorcerers."

The group continues on into the blue rock cavern, forced to walk single file in the narrow space. It's a long way, and something about the cavern they're in seems to be subtly encouraging a healthy silence for their journey.

Finally, minutes later, the party reaches a dead end. A large body of water stands between them and their goal, a door leading to a recessed staircase climbing back to the upper level. The water would be easy enough to cross by swimming, if not for the fact that the ledge is far too high to reach from the water.

There does seem to be some hope though, if the odd, dull bronze statue of a grinning gorilla holding a bright red gem can count as hope.

"What now?" Azlyn asks.

"I'll bet you anything that gem in the statue's hands is the key," Aladdin states. "If only we could get to it…"

Suddenly, Abu begins to jabber and jerk from his position on Aladdin's shoulder, alternating shrieking loudly and pointing a furry digit at the gem. "Do you think you can get up there, Abu? It'd be a real help."

The monkey takes a flourishing bow and leaps across the waterway, gripping some handholds on the cliff face and scurrying his way up.

"Make sure to be careful with that gem!" Azlyn yells up. When she sees that Sora and Telary are side-eying her, she shrugs. "What? Mama likes."

Abu reaches the top and scales the statue itself, one paw grazing the gem. Suddenly, the precious stone begins to glow with a faint orange light, only just bright enough to illuminate the statue's face.

Suddenly the ground shakes, and a large staircase rises from the water by the ledge, creating an easy way up the sheer cliff. Abu jabbers and jeers triumphantly, shaking his tail in a little victory dance.

"Aw, man!" Azlyn grouses when she reaches the top and sees that the gem has been reduced to a misshapen puddle of goo.

In a few minutes, when they reach the top of the staircase, she forgets all about it.

**KH-KH-KH**

Up in the large chamber that once held Genie's lamp, Jafar is gloating over said item, greedily giving it an enthusiastic rub along its golden length. Jasmine lays on the floor, unconscious.

In a moment, Genie's smoky form emerges almost lethargically from the lamp, forming up in the air into a mopey Genie, his face literally drooping in dreadful anticipation of whatever task his new master is going to force him to perform.

"Why the long face?" Jafar practically cackles, drawing an even further frown from the big blue creature. "I thought your kind _enjoyed _giving people their hearts' desires. And trust me, my heart has desired this for quite some time."

Genie says nothing, not even looking at the red-robed sorcerer. The genie rulebook (And there really is a literal book, big and purple with 'Da Rulez' plastered on the cover in gaudy orange word art) says he has to grant the wishes of whosoever held his lamp, but nowhere does it stipulate he has to like it.

"Well, perhaps you'll come around then, hmm?" Jafar sighs, rubbing his sleeve on the head of his staff absentmindedly. "Genie, for my first wish, I command you to show me the Keyhole!"

Genie tries to resist, he really does. He clenches his fists tight and closes his eyes against the strain of it, desperately making a wish of his own to not be forced to do this.

But, he has no choice, and the moment his concentration slips in the slightest his hand moves of its own accord, releasing his magic.

As it does so, the chamber begins rumbling, and slowly but surely the Keyhole reveals itself. A massive keyhole shaped stone emerges from the wall, the actual hole situated in its exact middle.

As reveals go, it's actually pretty anticlimactic, which puts just another bit of a painful burden on Genie's heart. He'd actually envisioned this moment several times over his long life, and had been planning a whole The Price Is Right, "Come on down!" shtick to accompany it. A shame the routine would never see the light of day.

"Well, well, well," the melodious voice of Maleficent drifts into the chamber. Jafar manages to divest his gaze from the Keyhole and turn to face her. The witch looks pleased, one finger rubbing against her green chin. "It seems you have done it, Jafar. Most impressive."

The vizier gives a grand bow, a smile stretching across his thin face. "I told you things were well in hand, my lady. Our plans draw nearer still to completion."

Maleficent nods, though whether the witch is truly impressed or not remains impossible to determine.

"A pity that this world shall so soon be destroyed," Jafar says with a hint of regret. "I had so little time to rule it."

"Our goals are far more significant than your desire to lord over one measly desert city, Jafar," Maleficent reminds her second, narrowing her eyes at him in annoyance. "I've warned you not to let your…"

The witch's words die on her tongue as a noise begins echoing through the lamp chamber. High, thin, and persistent, it almost sounds like….

…The clinking of coins!

"I see our friend the Keybearer has arrived," Maleficent announces with a smirk. Both she and Jafar turn to gaze at the room's entrance.

Sora and his companions spill into the room, the origin of the clinking noise revealed to be Azlyn, whose pockets are literally overflowing with gold coins and precious gems, and Abu, who is likewise burdened.

"I hate to be 'that guy', Az," Telary states flatly to his companion. "But I told you so about the treasure!"

"Yeah, yeah," the knight mutters back, turning her face away.

Sora doesn't even notice the pair's exchange, eyes transfixed on the jade-skinned woman in the black and purple cloak. "Are you… Maleficent?"

The woman fades away without an answer, giving the boy an impassive glance all the while. Sora wonders where she's gone.

"Let Jasmine go, Jafar!" Aladdin demands with a determined growl, the fire of his anger blazing hot in his chest as he spies the unconscious princess.

"I'm afraid I cannot do that, boy," the sorcerer replies with a cruel sneer, shaking his head. "She's a princess, you see. One of seven who holds the key to opening the final door!"

"Open…?" Telary says.

"The Door?" Azlyn adds.

The phrase sparks a bit of recognition in Sora's mind as well, though what exactly he cannot remember. Like something from a dream…

"It is only too bad that you fools will not live to gaze beyond it," Jafar continues, all smug confidence in his voice and eyes. "Not once I'm finished with you. Genie!"

The big blue lug appears by the former vizier's side, looking uncomfortable and none too pleased to be there.

"I've decided on my second wish, Genie! CRUSH THEM!"

There's an uncomfortable silence for a few moments, until Genie reluctantly breaks it.

"Uh, well…" he stammers, tugging nervously on a red and blue striped tie that has suddenly appeared around his neck. "Y'see, Master, the thing about that is that, well, I can't really… Kill anybody."

"What!" Jafar rages, taking a step back and glaring daggers at his azure slave.

Genie shrugs. "Sorry, but them's Da Rulez!" He actually summons the big purple book and flips to the relevant page. "My hands are tied!" And suddenly they literally are, lashed together with a thick rope.

"Useless fool!" Jafar spits. He fixes his gaze once more on the party, who have moved even closer, weapons at the ready. "Fine then! You may not be able to kill them, but trust me, I can! Genie, I wish for you to make me the most powerful sorcerer in all the worlds!"

"Genie, no!" Aladdin protests, but it's too late, and Genie can't help it. In a flash, a deep purple aura surrounds the vizier, lifting him into the air on a cushion of pure power.

The villain raises his staff, fiery orange power gathering at the tip of the snakehead topper. With an utterance of a few words in some strange language, Jafar releases the energy, sending a beam of blazing fire lancing toward his enemies.

The beam impacts the floor just before the group, then explodes in another conflagration that sends them all flying through the air, all of them landing harshly on the stone floor.

"Too hot for you?" Jafar quips. Iago, who until now has been hanging back, lands on the sorcerer's shoulder and joins in his cackling. "Perhaps you'd like a moment to _cool down_!" He raises his staff once more.

Huge chunks of ice form in the air around the group, frozen pieces as wide as Sora is tall slamming into them repeatedly, knocking them around and scrambling their senses.

Jafar lets that go on for a few seconds before he waves once again and the barrage desists. He looks out over the battered and bleeding heroes, his eyes blazing with delight. Beside him, Genie has transformed into a large blue ostrich and planted his head firmly beneath the sand.

With another flick he summons a meteor shower, sending flaming chunks of rock down from thin air to finish them off. They gather what strength they can and scatter, dodging left and right.

Azlyn ducks past a meteor and, seeing an opening, sprints towards Jafar. She skids to a stop a few feet away and hurls her shield with a grunt, sending it spinning towards the sorcerer at speeds not dissimilar to a buzzsaw.

He sees the projectile coming and merely chuckles, flicking his wrist. A shower of pink sparks surround the shield, and when they fade it has become a harmless wreath of pink daisies, impacting against Jafar's thin chest with no consequences at all.

He turns back to the others, convinced that the girl is less a threat bereft of her shield. He's dead wrong, and Azlyn charges once more, screaming defiant fury.

Jafar turns his gaze to her, sneering once more. Azlyn digs deep into her pockets, grabs what she can and throws, hurling a barrage of coins and gems at the villain.

Jafar snorts and waves his staff once more, transmogrifying the projectiles into harmless bubbles that float away.

Azlyn bursts through the curtain of bubbles and lands a devastating kick to Jafar's jaw. Despite his newfound raw magical power, his physical stature remains the same, and he flies back through the air, screaming in pain and rage.

Seeing an opportunity, Telary raises his staff and unleashes a thunder spell, raw electricity sizzling through Jafar's body, momentarily exposing his skeleton. Sora and Aladdin come in next, slashing the sorcerer with their blades.

Jafar's cries of pain can barely be heard over the sound of an entire cheerleading squad worth of Genies, all dressed in white and blue uniforms, the pleats of their skirts bouncing against blue thighs.

"Al and Sora got the key!" the squad chants, shaking their pom-poms and butts in time. "The key to bring us victory!"

As he floats to the ground, the sorcerer levels an absolutely _murderous _look at the traitorous genie.

Suddenly the squad is diminished to a single Genie cheerleader, waving a teeny tiny blue pennant with about as much enthusiasm as one could muster for watching paint dry.

"Jafar, Jafar, he's our man," he chants in a monotone. "If he can't do it… _GREAT!_"

Jafar lands, wiping a bit of blood and sweat from his hurting jaw. Sora and Aladdin each take up one side against him, confident but remaining wary of his power.

"You won't win this, you snake!" Aladdin yells defiantly, brandishing his scimitar expertly. "We'll find a way to beat you!"

"A snake, hm?" Jafar replies, sneering at the street rat. "Well boy, why don't we see how _snakelike _I can be!"

The sorcerer begins to grow suddenly, and twist, his body briefly becoming liquid silver before reforming. Long coils reach all the way across the chamber, red and blue scales appearing on them. A hood rises up over Jafar's neck, and long jaws grow thin but razor sharp teeth. Slitted pupils gaze down upon the heroes while a thin forked tongue darts between pebbly lips.

"_Crikey!" _Genie exclaims in an exaggerated accent, suddenly dressed in khaki shorts and a vest. "It's a big 'un!"

Azlyn and Telary charge the cobra, but a flick of its tail sends them flying against the stone wall. When the pair rises again, they find themselves trapped in a giant hourglass. Sand begins to trickle in from the chamber above them, slowly but surely filling up to their doom.

As for Sora and Aladdin, Jafar wraps them up in his coils, bringing them close to his hooded face. With a reptilian smirk, he begins to squeeze.

"You _sss_tupid _sss_treet rat_sssss_!" Jafar cackles, every hissed word dripping with gloating. "Did you really think that you could hope to challenge me? I have gained ultimate power! None can withstand me, not even Maleficent! I am going to crush the life from you, slowly, and then I shall deal with that witch! Then, with the Heartless at my side, I will…"

"Be stuck playing number two," Aladdin interrupts, huffing out the words despite the slow squeezing from hiss scaled nemesis.

"_What?" _Jafar bursts out incredulously. He cannot believe the gall of this urchin, lecturing him at his moment of triumph!

"Face it Jafar," the boy continues, despite the odd look Sora is giving him. "No matter how much power you have now, you'll never have as much as Genie!"

The squeezing stops suddenly, and with the pressure so relieved, Sora actually has a chance to pick up on Aladdin's scheme.

"Yeah," he perks up, wriggling a bit to gain the cobra's attention. "With power like Genie's, I'll bet you could open the Door yourself, no princesses necessary!"

If Genie had conventional internal organs like a heart, this would be the point at which it would give out. What are they doing up there? Had they heard nothing of his boasting about "phenomenal cosmic power"?

"It's true," Jafar admits, cocking his hooded head in thought. "His power does exceed my own." He grins, an absolutely disconcerting expression when attempted by his reptilian face. "But not for long! _Genie_!"

Genie pops up floating beside Jafar's face, dressed in the red and black leotard of a certain DC comics jester. He looks nervous. "You rang, Mister J?"

"I have my final wish," Jafar declares, raising his head and smiling from not-ear to not-ear, "I wish to become… An all-powerful _genie!_"

Genie sighs, returning to his normal blue form. "Sure thing, master." As he reaches out his finger, energy gathering at the tip, he gives Aladdin and Sora a pointed look. "Thanks a lot you two."

The energy gathering on Genie's finger goes flying, impacting Jafar's cobra form and surrounding it with an aura of red light. After a few moments, the long coils of its body disappear, fading into clouds of red smoke. When the effect hits the area Sora and Aladdin are trapped in, both drop to the ground.

Above, the smoke begins to coalesce, forming a single red cloud. From it emerges the huge, muscled form of Jafar, a built torso atop a red tail that glows like rocket exhaust. He smiles down upon the beings below him, his goatee practically quivering in anticipation.

While all that is happening, Sora rushes to the hourglass his companions are trapped in, breaking through with a heavy swing from the Keyblade and sending glass and sand flying.

Sora dodges the glass, but does feel the sharp sting of Azlyn's knuckles impacting his forehead.

"What the hell is that about?" she shouts over the raging winds of the chamber, gesturing to above, where Jafar is reveling in his newfound powers, creating a small solar system of planets between his hands before crushing it to dust. "Did you not hear Genie say _phenomenal cosmic freakin' powers?_"

"Hold on Azlyn," cautions Telary, who has also worked the scheme through and found it satisfactory. "I think I know what… Aha!"

The mage gestures to a patch of sandy floor not far from where Jafar is floating, where inside a tiny nexus of dark power appears a lamp identical to Genie's, but black as night in color.

Aladdin charges for the lamp, accompanied by the loud cheers of Genie, who has also deduced the plan, but misses it as Iago swoops down and takes it in his talons. The parrot rises and flies back towards the chamber's exit.

Sora runs for it, but soon finds himself picked up by a burst of wind from nowhere, blown away through the chamber doors and into the treasure room, a vast cavern with gold piled high to the ceiling everywhere.

He lands in one such pile, scattering coins and jewels all around him on impact. Out of the corner of his eye he notes that the others have arrived in a similar manner. Aladdin has, in fact, landed just a bit lower down on the same pile that Sora has.

"And so it ends, street rat!" the crimson genie gloats, raising his hands and gathering dark, destructive energy there. "This is how you die!"

On the word "die" he thrusts down his hands, only to find that the energy dissipates as it nears the young man. Furthermore, he finds he can't move his hands down any further to crush the nuisance!

"Looks like somebody didn't pay attention to me earlier, did they?" Genie says, floating up alongside his evil opposite, "Da Rulez" held open in front of him. A sentence on the first page is highlighted and double-underlined, and Genie points to it smugly. "Genie rule number 1: No killing!"

Jafar throws his head back and screams in impotent rage, not noticing that the motion sends the back of his cranium colliding with the floating Iago, sending the lamp-bearing parrot careening down towards the ground. He manages to stop his descent at just about the right height for Abu to make his move, leaping off a gold pile and dragging Jafar's lackey the rest of the way to the ground.

"I may not be able to kill you, street rat!" Jafar snarls down to Aladdin once he regains his composure. "But I _will _make you wish you'd died!"

"I don't think so Jafar!" the young man yells up at him, even as Abu tosses the black lamp in a perfect arc, landing easily in his hands. He holds it high above his head.

"No!" the evil genie screams, backing away like he's just been burnt, black bracelet-like shackles popping into existence on his wrists. "It cannot be! How…?"

"Phenomenal cosmic power…!" Sora yells up at the villain as his tail becomes irrevocably drawn to the lamps tip, sucking Jafar into its confines.

The former vizier screams and flails, desperately casting his arms out for anything he can hold on to. He finds Iago, and unfortunately for the parrot, he gets sucked in right along with his master. The only thing remaining of the pair in the chamber is the echoes of their terrified screams.

"Itty bitty living space," Aladdin finishes with a knowing smirk, looking up at Genie and giving the blue guy an exaggerated wink.

"Oh, Al! You prince you!" Genie cries in ecstasy, wrapping the boy up in an enormous hug.

"I can't believe this," Azlyn grumbles to Telary, the only person within earshot. The mage gives her a quizzical look. "The guy could've gotten three more wishes!" The older boy actually slaps his forehead, exasperated.

"Jasmine!" Aladdin exclaims suddenly, breaking free from Genie's embrace and rushing back towards the lamp chamber. Genie, Sora, and Telary hurry after him, but Azlyn stays put, bends down, and begins to gather as much loot as she can.

"No!" Sora hears Aladdin cry from within the chamber. He enters and sees his new friend on his knees in front of the Keyhole, clutching at his hair with both hands. Where Jasmine had been only a minute earlier is now empty.

She's gone.

Sora nearly drops to his knees himself. Another girl in trouble, another failure. How does he keep failing like this?

"Sora!" Telary cries, shocking the Keybearer out of his private pity party. "Sora, the Keyhole!"

The boy shakes his head to clear it, stepping up to the Keyhole with his Keyblade raised. As before, white light gathers at the tip, coalescing into a single beam that fires into the Keyhole like a guided laser. There's a burst of light and a click.

Immediately the stone surrounding the Keyhole begins to change, transforming into golden sand that quickly sweeps away all evidence of what was once there.

Telary moves forward and swipes a Nav-G off the ground, pocketing it for later use.

"She's gone, Sora," Aladdin says brokenly, looking up at the Keybearer with tear-filled eyes. "Jasmine's gone."

There's little time to reflect on that, as suddenly the entire chamber begins to shake, chunks of rock falling from the ceiling and bursting upon impact with the ground.

"Uh, I'm thinking it's time to leave," Telary suggests nervously, gazing at the destruction all around him. He notices something missing immediately. "Where's…?"

"I'm right here," Azlyn replies, raising an arm in salute. She sounds like a piggy bank as she does so.

Carpet comes flying into the chamber, lowering itself for boarding. Azlyn is the first to hop aboard, and immediately the rug crashes to the floor, unable to bear the weight of Azlyn's haul.

Everyone gives her a stern look.

"Fine," she sighs, standing up and opening pockets, out of which gold, rubies, and other precious metals fall in cascades. The only concession she's allowed is a single golden shield strapped to her back, to replace the one Jafar had transmuted.

"Aladdin, c'mon!" Sora urges, placing a firm hand on the street rat, who resists with all his might. Finally Telary joins the Keybearer's efforts, and together they manage to force Aladdin aboard Carpet, taking off without a minute to spare.

Azlyn and Abu sit in the back, and she nudges the monkey conspiratorially. "It's too bad about all that treasure. But, at least I got to keep _this _baby!"

Grinning ear to ear, she reaches down into her pants and produces a large gold bar almost as long as her forearm. Abu eyes it appreciatively.

Then a large rock falls from the ceiling and smashes into it, sending the treasure hurtling to the floor of the chamber, which is slowly filling with lava.

"Dang it!" she sighs as Carpet clears the mouth of the rapidly dissolving tiger head and climbs into the starlit sky.

* * *

**And that's (mostly) Agrabah! It's one of my favorite worlds (So much so that I don't even care that it has probably been shoehorned into FAR too many games) as well as being based on probably my favorite Disney movies, so I hope I did it justice!**

**As per usual, feel free to drop a review if you're so inclined. PS I just have to acknowledge The Sexy 1's comment about Sora/Azlyn by saying that I'll admit that I'd always wondered if somebody would start shipping those two! That pairing certainly crossed my mind a few times in the planning process, but ultimately I decided that love triangles are pretty played out, and their kinda immature "brother/sister competitive rivalry" dynamic was much more fun to play with. Still, I guess the fact that you're shipping it means I wrote them well!**

**Thanks to everyone reading this, it means a lot to me that you are, and you're enjoying it! Until next time!**


	20. Wish Fulfillment

The mood in Aladdin's hovel is somber. The boy just sits at the edge of the gaping hole in the wall, gazing out at the city down below.

Sora isn't exactly chipper himself, still down about his failure.

"Where did he take her?" Aladdin finally asks after minutes of stolid, stony silence.

Telary and Azlyn share a concerned look, unsure of just how much information they should give away to the obviously distraught young man.

"She's… not in Agrabah anymore," Telary explains finally, the words eking out slowly. "She's… elsewhere. Gosh, I wish I could say more, but…"

"That would be middling," Azlyn finishes, looking at the floor solemnly.

"Well, uh, _meddling_, actually, but pretty much," Telary corrects, aware of Azlyn's annoyed gaze at his correction. "Sorry."

"We can find her though," Sora assures his friend, though his voice does not betray a lot of confidence.

"Take me with you Sora!" Aladdin declares standing up, hands clenched tightly at his sides.

"We can't, Aladdin," the Keybearer sighs, wincing and looking away. "It just… It wouldn't be the right thing to do."

"Uh, _hello_!" Genie chimes in, floating over to his master's side and giving him a light noogie. "C'mon Al, it's so simple. You've still got one wish left, y'know. I can have Jasmine back here in a flash, easy as pie! All you've gotta do is say the words, 'I wish'…"

"I wish for your freedom, Genie," Aladdin says, looking the big blue lug directly in the eye. "That's the promise I made to you, and I… I wish for you to be free!"

Suddenly, a blue glow begins to radiate from Genie's skin, surrounding him in an aura of pure light. He rises into the air, pink and green sparks of energy racing along the golden shackles at his wrists and dismantling them, sending both to the ground with a clatter. The sparks move downward, circling his tail and bursting once more, leaving him with two legs clad in blue pants that lead down to black, pointed shoes on his feet.

"I… I…" Genie stutters, the ability to form words leaving him completely for the first time in a long, long existence. "I'm free!"

He rises into the air and turns a perfect flip, landing easily on his feet. He rushes to Azlyn, nearly knocking her over in the process and prompting a big laugh from the others.

"Okay, okay, wish for something outrageous!" he encourages her, batting her lightly on the shoulder with both hands. "Wish for, uh, I don't know… The Nile! Just say 'I wish for the Nile'!"

"Uh," Azlyn stammers, taken aback by the big blue lug's enthusiasm, "I wish for… the Nile?"

"NO WAY!" Genie yells back, grabbing his belly and letting out a good-natured cackle that soon spreads to the others. Except Azlyn, who looks a bit miffed.

"Well, Genie, a deal is a deal," Aladdin says as soon as he can manage it through his laughter. "You're free now. You can go anywhere you want to!"

"I know, Al," Genie says, finally dialing down the reverie a little bit, "But what about Jasmine? I've still got some magic left in the ole tank, but not enough to rescue her from bad juju like the Heartless."

"It's okay Genie," Aladdin assures his friend with a solemn half grin, "I trust Sora, Azlyn, and Telary to do the job. They _did _save Agrabah, after all." The four share big grins before Aladdin turns back to Genie. "But if you could, would you mind helping them out a little, y'know, if they need it?"

Genie seems to consider for a second before turning his back and crossing his arms across his chest. "Well, Al, frankly I'm done taking orders from others. From now on, life is on _my _terms, baby!" Aladdin's face falls, but he notices Genie turn around, fixing the street rat with a grin. "But a _favor_, well, now that's an entirely different kettle of fish! I'm sure that I could manage." The big blue lug goes to Aladdin and places an arm around his shoulders, leaning in close. "After all, we're pals, right Al?"

"Genie," Aladdin says with a bit of a blush, running his hand through his hair.

Genie moves off Aladdin and approaches Sora. Holding his hand out, he calls forth a sky blue gem, which Sora takes.

"If you ever find yourself in dire straits, Sora," Genie instructs, actually sounding serious, "you just give this little beaut a rub and I'll come running!"

"Thank Genie," Sora says with a giggle, pocketing the gem for later. He still feels a little bad for allowing what happened with Jasmine, but he also knows that he can fix his mistake, with a little help from his friends.

"Alright everybody!" Genie declares, his arms stretching to impossible proportions. "Bring it in!" The arms clamp around Sora, Azlyn, Telary, Aladdin, Abu, and Carpet, squeezing them all together in Genie's massive embrace. "I can feel it now: We're gonna be pals for life!"

**KH-KH-KH**

The mood in the chapel of Maleficent's fortress is decidedly less cheery than that of Aladdin's hovel. She circles her scrying pool slowly, face impassive.

"That was a close one, eh?" Hades throws out, most likely just to break the silence. "I mean, I thought I knew power, but what that smarmy vizier had goin' for him in genie mode… _Wow_, y'know what I mean?"

"It was not enough," Maleficent points out coolly, stopping her rotation by the side of the room's third, much younger occupant. "Jafar craved power above all else. Power for vengeance."

"True, true," Hades admits, scratching his chin. "Still, maybe he coulda sealed the deal, if _somebody _had stuck around to help."

Riku scowls up at the flaming god. "I did my part," he practically growls, clenching a gloved fist. "You told me all I had to do was nab the princess, and I did. Nobody said anything about helping that jerk!"

"You performed admirably, dear boy," Maleficent assures him, patting Riku's head far too affectionately for his liking. "Marvelously in fact!" She shrugs coolly. "And besides, Jafar was beyond help. All he craved was power to further his vengeance. Once he allowed that much Darkness in his heart, his usefulness was ended. A lesson for all."

Noticing the witch's pointed glare in his direction, Hades backs up, his hands raised defensively. "Oh, hey, c'mon! You know me! I'm as cool as they come, babe! Sure I got things I, y'know, would _like_ to accomplish. Satyrs to skin, nephews to murder, brothers to usurp. Family stuff, basically. But honestly, Mal, I am one-hundred percent committed to the cause."

The jade-skinned sorceress merely rolls her eyes. "All good things to those who wait. When the door is opened, all desires will be fulfilled."

"Speaking of, kid," Hades says, drawing Riku's attention, "have we got a surprise for you!"

Riku looks inquisitively at Maleficent, who grins down at him. "I haven't forgotten our deal, my dear boy. You did what I asked of you, and well. Thus…" She waves a green hand over the pool, infusing it with the tiniest bit of magic. The water coalesces into the floating image of a young, redheaded girl, sleeping a peaceful sleep.

"Kairi!" Riku practically screams, lunging out with his hand, but only succeeding in sending the integrity of the projection into disarray, scattering water back into the pool. "You found her? You know where she is?"

"Your vessel awaits," Maleficent confirms with a grin. "You may go to her whenever you wish."

"I should warn you though, boy," a roughly accented voice cuts through the darkness surrounding the chapel entrance. Out of it emerges a tall man garbed in the red vestments of a pirate, his large red hat drooping low, white feather sticking straight out. The silver of his hook stands out against the garish redness of his coat. "This will be no pleasure cruise!"

"Why are you doing all this for me?" Riku asks, staring up at his jade-skinned benefactor with pure suspicion in his eyes. "There's gotta be a catch! No way nabbing one girl is worth all this! What do you really want?"

Maleficent sighs deeply, placing a hand lightly on her cloaked breast. She seems very hurt by the boy's accusations and mistrust.

"How many times must I tell you, dear Riku," she says, with as much sincerity as she can muster, "I only want you to be happy. Why, you're like the son I've never had!" She moves to run her fingers through the boy's silver hair, but he jerks away from the touch.

"Somehow," he spits at her, eyes hard, "I find that hard to believe."

"Believe what you wish, my dear," Maleficent relents, turning away, then looking back over her shoulder at the youth. "But, lest you forget. I kept _my _end of the bargain."

Riku fixes her with another scowl, then turns on his heel and stalks away, Hook following after slowly.

"So, uh," Hades says after the chapel doors have slammed shut, leaving him and Maleficent in privacy once again. "Not that I, like, _need _to know, y'know, but, uh… What exactly is the catch?"

Maleficent gives him a hard look, one eyebrow raised. Shaking her head, she sighs deeply and stalks away, leaving the god with only silence.


	21. Swallowed

"You're doing _great_ Sora," Telary assures the young Keybearer, standing behind him to supervise while the boy tries his hand once again at Gummi piloting. He seems to be a natural, but then again who wouldn't be a natural at flying through empty space in a straight line?

They're alone in the cockpit, Azlyn once again holed up in the turret. She'd grudgingly offered Sora his turn, but he'd declined, opting instead to get a few more hours of flying time in.

What he hadn't told her or Telary was that he simply doesn't want to be alone right now. Sora fears that too much time sitting idly by, waiting for threats that may never appear, might leave him too much time to think.

And there is still a lot to think about: Keyholes, Maleficent, Jasmine and Alice, where Riku went… Kairi…

So he's making an attempt to distract his focus and keep the bad thoughts at bay. He'd figured flying would leave him with plenty else to worry about, but the trip so far has been dully smooth.

Not that you'd figure that by watching Telary, who despite the easy ride has not yet moved more than a foot from Sora's chair, trying and failing to keep his nerves discreet. It actually takes more concentration from the boy to not snap at the mage, who he knows is just trying to help, than to fly the ship.

"Seriously, Sora, this is wonderful work you're doing," Telary babbles, more for his own reassurance than the amateur pilot's. "I remember the first few times I got behind the controls, I couldn't even get the sim-ship out of the virtual hangar. Seriously, a bunch of stuff broke. Digital stuff, I mean. Not the real thing."

Sora nods along to his friend's words, though he really isn't paying that much attention. Where _did _Riku go after their encounter in Traverse Town? Should Sora have stuck around longer to look for him again? After all, it wasn't like Riku could leave the town, he didn't even have a ship. He has to still be there somewhere, right?

Why had he left then? Sure Azlyn had been pretty against him joining them on the journey, but Sora knew he'd be able to wear her down eventually. Then again, he still remembered the look in Riku's eyes when he'd seen Azlyn and Telary, the disdain in his voice when he asked who they were…

"Um, _hello!_" Azlyn's voice echoes through the cockpit, startling Sora out of his thought process. He nearly turns back to look at the knight, but quickly realizes that it would be a supremely bad idea to take his eyes off the road. Er, space. Whatever.

"Hi, Az," Telary greets his counterpart, taking a few steps away from her as she arrives at the top of the ladder from below.

"Why did you turn my comm off?" she demands, scowling at the mage. "I've been trying to signal you!"

"Sorry," Telary apologizes, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "I was showing Sora some more piloting stuff, and I thought, y'know…"

"I might come on the comm and heckle him?"

"Yeah, pretty much."

Azlyn shrugs. "Well, truthfully I probably would have, so… Whatever." She shakes her head, her expression gaining seriousness. "I came down to tell you that I saw something on the radar. Something big."

"Heartless?" the boys ask in unison, Sora even taking his eyes away from the vastness in front of him to look at the knight.

"Nah," she replies with a shake of her head, "it wasn't giving off the right kind of reading. More like a world than a Heartless. But it was moving, and fast."

"And you're sure?"

"Well, if it's anything like what I read in the manual…."

"Okay, hold up, hold up!" Telary interrupts, waving his hands in front of himself to catch attention. "Azlyn, you _read_ the manual?"

The knight rolls her eyes. "I got bored, and there was a copy in my room so…"

She's interrupted once again, though this time not by one of her companions. There's a slight bump against the stern of the ship, sending the whole cockpit shaking. Then suddenly a huge shape moves past the viewport. Whatever it is, it's big and colored a blue so deep that it looks almost black.

Eventually it passes and heads for the infinite space ahead of the Gummi ship, revealing its full shape and identity.

"A WHALE!" Sora, Azlyn, and Telary all exclaim in unison, shocked by what they're seeing in front of them. Even considering the oddities they've encountered so far, this is disconcerting.

"Monstro!" Jiminy, who apparently has been in the cockpit the whole time, suddenly cries out. The trio look down at the chronicler to find him shaking all over, knees knocking together.

"You know this giant space whale?" Azlyn asks incredulously.

"He's from my world," Jiminy explains, shaking his head to clear it. "He used to terrorize anybody looking to travel by sea. Oh, he's a whale of a whale, and vicious besides!"

"Well he's coming back around!" Azlyn points out, gesturing to the viewport, outside which the giant whale can be seen banking left, putting himself on a straight collision course for the ship.

"Get us out of here, Sora!" Telary screams frightfully at the young Keybearer. He doesn't respond, simply gripping the control yoke tight enough to discolor his knuckles. "Sora, c'mon!"

Monstro's mouth is open wide now, revealing a huge dark maw that will be plenty sufficient in size to swallow the ship whole. He charges forward, unwavering in his devotion to catching his meal.

"Too late!" Jiminy yells, ducking under a chair. "Brace for impact everyone. It's gonna be…"

**KH-KH-KH**

_"…Real, I swear! I'm telling you, Riku, I saw it with my own two eyes!"_

_The older boy rolled his eyes once again at his 5-year old best friend, well used to the boy's tall tales by now._

_"Really?" he asked, following the lad across the wooden dock of the play island. His aunt and Sora's mother were at that moment unloading their boats, prepared for a relaxing day of reading at the beach while the children played about. Kairi had taken ill, some kind of flu that was pretty harmless but nasty to look at, and so was forced to stay home._

_"Remember to be careful!" Sora's mother called absently over her shoulder, a warning that she had been giving at least once a day since her son had learned to walk. A warning that very rarely was heeded._

_"Now you actually saw it, right?" Riku asked again, raising his eyebrows at Sora. "You didn't just hear it, did you?"_

_Sora hesitated, stopping his skipping walk for a moment. "Well, so what if I did, huh? It's still worth checking out, unless you wanna spend the day running around the beach like usual. I just know there's something in that cave!"_

_"Fine, fine," Riku sighed with another eye roll. "You're right, it's better than the same old thing."_

_Sora grinned manically and charged into the undergrowth separating the beach from the small waterfall clearing, Riku following along._

_"So suppose you're right, and there _is _some kind of monster in the cave," Riku asked. "What are we supposed to do about it? You really think we can beat it by ourselves?" _

_"Sure can! Now, shhhh!"_

_The pair stopped in front of the hidden entrance to the cave behind the waterfall, a place they've often seen and heard whispers of from the older kids, but never actually been inside._

_"Can you hear it growling?" Sora whispered to Riku, breaking his own command for silence._

_Riku turned his head to one side and listened in closely. There was definitely a sound echoing out from the cave, a low, hollow noise that raised the silver hairs on the back of his neck._

_"Okay, I believe you," Riku relented, frowning at Sora's little victory jig. "Now we've gotta be careful, right?"_

_Sora nodded solemnly, ready to take orders from Riku as per usual. The older boy nodded back and began to silently stalk into the cave, remaining low to the ground. Despite the momentary fear he felt at a sudden resurgence of the monster's growling, the noise actually vibrating the pit of his stomach, Sora followed._

_The pair crept along the path into the cave proper as slowly as possible, not wanting to give away anything to the monstrous beast they were sure to encounter inside._

_When they reached the inner chamber, they found nothing. Just an empty cave. A few roots from nearby trees poked through the walls, and a small hole from above filtered in sunlight. The walls were splashed here and there with half-faded drawings done in old white chalk._

_"Nothing," Riku sighed, looking back at Sora with a raised eyebrow. The younger boy merely shrugged. "Wow, Sora. I can't believe you mixed up what was obviously just the wind with…"_

_"What's that?" Sora asked, pointing to something behind Riku. The silver-haired boy turned to see, noticing a large piece of wood sunk into the wall. It looked like a door, but had no handle. It was an odd thing to find in an empty cave, wasn't it?_

_"I guess it's a door," Riku answered, shrugging and moving closer. He ran his hands all over the parts of it he could reach, but found nothing but smooth wood beneath his fingers. "But I don't know how to open it. Damn."_

_Sora gasped. "Riku you can't say that! It's a bad word!"_

_Riku realized that. He can still remember the scolding his aunt gave his uncle after he'd used the word in front of Riku. The older man had been hammering nails and struck his own thumb._

_"Whatever."_

_"So, is that all that's in here?" Sora whined, shaking his head. "Man, what a ripoff!"_

_"What do you expect?" Riku replied, chuckling and shaking his head. "A monster? In a boring little place like this? Please."_

_"Well, yeah…"_

_"Hey Sora," Riku said, drawing the younger boy's attention back to him. Sora could not recall a time he'd ever seen his friend look so serious. "When we grow up, let's get off of this island and have some real adventures, huh? I'm getting sick of this kid stuff, y'know?"_

_"Uh, sure Riku," Sora answered hesitantly, hoping that fun things like climbing trees and hunting frogs didn't qualify as "kid stuff". He liked doing that too much to ever give it up. "But what now?"_

_"Let's go see who can hold their breath the longest underwater," Riku suggested, moving to the cave's exit. "Loser has to clean up Kairi's puke pail!"_

_"Oh, you are so on!" Sora said with a broad grin that highlighted his single missing tooth._

**KH-KH-KH**

Something squishy falls on Sora's head, restoring his mental clarity. All he sees is pitch black darkness, but he knows that's only because his eyes are still closed. He should probably open them soon, but then again, it's not like it's a school day or anything…

"I know you're awake, key boy," Azlyn's mocking and oh so loud voice cuts through the fugue of his half-consciousness. "You can't just lay there playing dead and expect to get out of helping!"

The Keybearer opens his eyes to see the female knight standing over him, hands on her hips. He moves his eyes down her legs and sees her foot tapping impatiently.

He rolls over and sits up, taking in his surroundings. He's still in the Gummi ship, though he sees that a large hole has been cracked open in the viewport, high above which is a dark red roof of some sort.

"Well, so glad you could join us," Azlyn says, smirking as she offers down a hand to help Sora up. He takes it and rises, looking over the cockpit once more. Everything is more or less intact.

"What… how are we…?"

"That bastard Monstro swallowed us," his companion explains with a shake of her head. "Now we're inside him."

Sora grimaces. That explains the faint, odorous smell his nose is beginning to pick up on.

"My thoughts exactly," Azlyn agrees with a solemn nod.

There's a loud noise as Telary swings into the cockpit through the hole, carefully avoiding the jagged edges where it has been broken. Sora notes that situated by his staff's holster is a small scanner and a welding torch. His left hand holds a blue handkerchief to his nose, to block out the smell. Jiminy sits on his shoulder.

"Well, I'm happy to report that it's mostly good news," he explains, his voice muffled and nasal through his hankie. "A few minor scrapes, obviously a new windshield is necessary, but there's nothing I can't fix up with my tools and a few of the spare Gummis we've got onboard."

"We can get out of here?" Sora asks.

Telary nods confidently. "I could probably build a new ship with the parts we won't need. Everything will be fine!"

No sooner has Telary made that declaration than a small orange Gummi block goes flying through the hole in the viewport, ramming into his back and sending him sprawling to the ground. Jiminy slows his own descent by opening his umbrella wide, floating gently down to the floor.

Sora has the Keyblade out in a microsecond, rushing to the viewport to look for the source of the thrown block. He skids to a stop and takes a look out at the ship's bow, which is angled slightly up into the air. Standing atop one section, prying loose Gummi blocks with already tenuous grips to the ship's frame and stuffing them in a sack, is Pinocchio!

"Uh, Jiminy!" Sora calls back into the cabin. The cricket covers the distance to him in two hops, landing on the Keybearer's shoulder. "I think somebody out there is in need of a lesson about stealing."

Jiminy peers out the window and sees his former charge toss his full to bursting bag over his shoulder and turn to leave.

"What in the blazes are you doing, Pinocchio?" he calls down, startling the wooden boy. When he turns to locate the source of the noise though, a broad smile comes to his face.

"Hi Jiminy! Sora!" He waves enthusiastically. Suddenly the waving stops and he takes a few cautious steps back, looking scared.

Curious, Sora turns to see Azlyn standing beside him, glaring hard at the life-infused puppet. The Keybearer himself moves away from the knight as nonchalantly as he can manage.

"Well, I gotta go," Pinocchio says, flinging the sack over his shoulder and stepping for the port edge of the bow. "Thanks for lettin' me borrow these blocks!" With another nod, he jumps and is gone from sight.

"Pinocchio!" Jiminy calls, leaping out the broken viewport and charging after the puppet boy, holding his hat to keep it steady.

Sora almost pursues, but a groan from Telary reminds him that the mage was felled by a Gummi Pinocchio had rejected. He and Azlyn race to their comrade's side, encouraging the groggy young man to sip from an offered potion bottle.

"I'm starting to think that Jiminy isn't that effective of a conscience," Azlyn says as Sora helps Telary sit up, rubbing lightly at the point of his back that had been struck. "Either that, or the puppet kid needs to see a therapist about his raging kleptomania."

Sora shrugs. "They have been separated for a long time. He probably just needs some lessons repeated."

"Well I'll tell you one thing," Azlyn says, cracking her knuckles and making her way to the viewport exit, "if Jiminy doesn't start teaching that kid lessons that stick, _I'll _have to give it a try."

Sora and Telary watch her exit, going through the window and sliding off the bow to the ground in a single, fluid motion.

"She wouldn't _actually_…?" Sora asks Telary, a cautious hitch in his voice. "I mean…"

"Well, I…" Telary begins, without follow-up. With a single look, the boys decide that it will be best for everyone if they don't leave Azlyn near Pinocchio too long without supervision.

**Monstro**

It takes a brief swim in the several feet of liquid that has accumulated at some point in the chasmic chamber, but the trio manage to reach the large, mostly derelict wooden vessel that is propped up against one "wall" of Monstro's mouth. Bobbing gently next to it is a small green Gummi ship that looks just cozy enough for two passengers.

"And you say that I can use these blocks to fix the boat Pinocchio came in?" an old, bent-backed man with a kindly face and droopy grey mustache inquires of Jiminy, who nods along happily.

"Sure can, Geppetto!" the little conscience confirms, nodding proudly.

"One problem, though," Azlyn points out, clambering aboard the ship's deck. "Some of those are _our _Gummis."

"Pinocchio!" Geppetto scolds his boy. "I thought you were over your little thieving phase! How are you ever to become a real boy if you can't learn to respect other people's property?"

"Aw, Papa!" Pinocchio protests, looking away and holding his hinged arms to his chest. "I was only thinking of ways to help us get outta here."

"We have spares," Telary announces, shrugging. "And we definitely wouldn't feel right just leaving you here with a broken ship, so…"

"Oh, bless you!" Geppetto exclaims, pulling the mage into a very awkward hug. Azlyn and Sora snicker quietly. After a moment, the old toymaker pulls back. "My goodness, I can't believe the whale swallowed you up too!"

Azlyn shrugs. "All things considered, it's not that much of a departure from the normal levels of insanity we deal with." The boys nod along in agreement.

"Jiminy tells me that you've already been acquainted with Pinocchio," Geppetto says conversationally, sifting through a few Gummi blocks. "I'm his father, Geppetto. Now I know that may seem a bit preposterous, but it's actually a sweet little story."

"We're aware, actually," Telary interrupts, hoping that he isn't coming off as rude. "Jiminy told us all about it. And you're right, it is very sweet, you wishing for Pinocchio to come to life and all."

"By the by," Azlyn says, sidling up to the old man, "having recently been reminded of the power of wishes, I have to ask. I've been talking to every star I can, and so far I've got nothing. So, did this Blue Fairy by chance leave a card with you, or maybe a contact number?"

While Geppetto clumsily tries to explain that he doesn't know how to get in touch with the Blue Fairy beyond wishing on stars, Pinocchio's mind begins to wander. He'd thought that he would be the big hero when he presented his father with a way to escape Monstro, only to be scolded for not doing things "the right way", and pushed aside for Jiminy's new friends.

Where does that cricket get off, replacing him like that? Jiminy had said when they first met that he was going to stick with him and keep him on the straight and narrow. And now here he was running around with a bunch of strangers! All told, it makes Pinocchio feel real rotten inside!

Looking back further into Monstro's mouth, he spies something standing near the darkened entrance of a "tunnel" further back. He squints, and realizes that it's an older boy!

The boy sees Pinocchio looking and nods in a friendly manner, silver hair shaking on his head. Then, with a smirk and broad "come over here" gesture, the boy turns and runs deeper into the tunnel.

Curious, Pinocchio follows after.

"But really, I'm happy just to have us all together again, eh Pinocchio?" Geppetto turns to his boy, only to find him gone! "Oh dear, he must have wandered off! Oh my goodness, I hope he doesn't get himself hurt…"

Sora steps up. "It's okay, Geppetto, I'll go get him," the Keybearer offers. It might be nice, he thinks, to actually retrieve someone he sets out to save for once.

"Oh, thank you! I do worry ever so about my little boy…"

"I'll go too," Azlyn chimes in, stepping up beside Sora. If she doesn't get away from this rambling old man soon, she's going to lose her mind.

"I, uh, guess I'll stay here," Telary volunteers lamely, thinking over the amount of repairs needing to be done. He'll have Geppetto's help, sure, but the toymaker is old and doesn't look so spry, besides being an amateur. "I can work on the ships."

Sora nods and turns to leave, but a thought strikes him and he turns back, reaching into his pocket. He retrieves the blue stone Genie gave him and holds it up, rubbing it lightly with his thumb. The gem glows briefly, and then Genie appears in a puff of blue smoke, shocking Geppetto into taking a few steps back.

"Hey Genie," Sora greets the big blue lug, offering up a high five, which is accepted.

"I gotta say Sora," Genie says, shaking his head, "I didn't think you'd call me up so soon! Then again, I can understand why you'd miss my fabulous conversation!"

Sora chuckles. "Yeah, that's it. Actually, we've got kind of a technical problem and Telary could really use your help with some of the construction…"

"Say no more!" In a flash, three more Genie's appear on the deck of the dilapidated ship, each wearing orange safety vests and hard hats to match. The original Genie is similarly attired. He turns to Telary. "Me'n my crew are the fastest, most reliable craftsmen this side'a Philly. We'll fix what needs fixing, and we'll do it fast."

"Thanks Genie!" Sora and Azlyn exit, leaping off the side of the boat into the water below.

"Uh, one more little thing," Genie says to Telary, leaning in close. "Our union is _pretty _serious about the mandated breaks, so…"

The mage sighs.

**KH-KH-KH**

Sora and Azlyn stroll casually into the chamber directly off the mouth, finding themselves in a tiny space, surrounded by fleshy purple walls that mildly pulsate every few seconds. Bioluminescent patches of various colors provide enough soft light to see by, though the effect is a bit akin to walking around inside a disco ball.

"Y'know," Azlyn pipes up, drawing her partner's attention, "I think I may have been seriously lowballing it when I told Geppetto this place was on the low end of oddity for us. By the way, what do you think that water back in the mouth is?"

Sora frowns. "I'm actually trying really hard not to, Az."

The conversation is interrupted by the familiar clacking of wood. Looking up, Sora and Azlyn see Pinocchio, standing atop a higher purple ledge. He giggles and waves at them.

"Now see here, Pinocchio!" Azlyn yells up at the puppet authoritatively, shaking a threatening finger at him. "Knock this crap off and come back to the boat!"

"She's right," Sora agrees, nodding firmly in the knight's direction. "This is no time for games!"

"Hey, now!" a familiar voice cuts through the chamber, causing a severe skip in the beat of Sora's heart. Riku appears by Pinocchio, leaning over with one arm resting across his thigh, grinning down at the pair below. "I thought you liked games Sora! Remember how much we used to play back on the islands? All the monsters we faced?"

"Riku…" Sora breathes, his brain having a distinctly difficult time processing the fact that Riku is somehow here. And apparently, not as happy with the reunion as the Keybearer may have thought he'd be.

"Oh, wait, I get it!" Riku continues mockingly, playfully tapping his wrist against his forehead. "You must think you're too cool for playing games now, huh? What with you wielding the Keyblade and all."

"What are you doing here Riku?" Sora asks, very slowly. "How did you get here? Do you have a Gummi ship too? Do you know anything about where Kairi is?"

Riku chuckles lowly, straightening up. "Wow, that's a lot of questions, Sora. I guess you haven't changed all _that _much, eh?" He reaches his hand out for Pinocchio, who happily takes it. "If you want answers, well then I guess you'll just have to catch us, won't you?" With another condescending laugh, Riku and Pinocchio exit the chamber the same way they entered.

Sora is stunned into silence. What could have gotten into Riku? _Did _he have information about Kairi, and if so, why would he withhold it so childishly? How could Sora's oldest friend be acting like such a…

"Jerk!" Azlyn exclaims bluntly, scowling up where Riku had been moments earlier. Sora gives her a light smack on the arm. "Hey! I was just expressing my feelings! Telary says that's healthy to do!"

"That's my friend you're talking about," Sora protests, jumping to try and grab the ledge and pull himself up after Riku and Pinocchio. It's too high, several feet out of reach. "And sure, he's being a little weird, but he just…" The boy sighs, leaning against the wall, which gives a bit against his weight. "Look, Azlyn, I don't have any clue what's gotten into him, okay?"

"Really?" Azlyn asks, raising her eyebrows at the dejected boy. "Because it's pretty obvious to me."

"What?"

"He's jealous. Of the Keyblade."

Sora frowns at her, not liking the implications of her statement. "I… Maybe. I mean, we've always been kind of competitive with each other, but it never got this bad! And he won't even talk to me about Kairi..."

"That could be another problem," the knight suggests, speaking a bit quieter.

"Huh?"

"Nothing." She turns to another exit, a lightly glowing green portal just a few feet across the chamber.

They move through a few more chambers, all equally strange, until they find themselves right back where they'd started, though this time they're on the ledge Riku and Pinocchio had been.

"I might have said this before," Azlyn sighs, "but I really hate this dumb whale. I can't _imagine _anything that could make this worse!"

Of course that's when the Heartless arrive.

Out of three portals spring a trio of ghostlike creatures, one eye dangling on a chain out of their bulbous white heads, the other set back in them. Red lights spring from the empty sockets, swinging back and forth like spotlights with every turn of the head.

One attacks Sora, its sharply clawed hands actually moving a few inches _away_ from the rest of its arms to slash at the boy. He ducks and swings the Keyblade, eliminating it in a single blow.

Azlyn deflects a two-handed swipe, then stomps her foot down on her opponent's wispy tail, pinning it. She grins and unleashes a hard punch, knocking the Search Ghost so hard into the ground that it actually rebounds back up towards her, upon which she seizes the moment to make another jab, eliminating the threat.

Sora finishes off a second enemy with a simple diagonal swing of the Keyblade.

"Why are the Heartless here?" he asks no one in particular, frowning at the Keyblade while he dismisses it.

"Well, you said the Heartless track the Keyblade, right?" Azlyn suggests. "It's probably just a hit squad."

"_Just _a hit squad, eh?" Sora shoots back sardonically. Azlyn grins back at him and they continue on.

Several chambers later, they're still lost in the vastness of Monstro's insides, with no sign of either Riku or Pinocchio. Sora is beginning to get the gnawing feeling that he may be failing at yet another rescue operation.

Luckily, at that moment a familiar giggle is heard, and Pinocchio runs by in between Sora and Azlyn. After taking a second to get their bearings, the pair head after the little wooden boy.

But where's Riku?

**KH-KH-KH**

Riku heaves a sigh and decides that he has more than earned a bit of a rest. He sits gingerly down on a fleshy protuberance growing up from the "floor".

He can't help but replay his conversation with Sora over and over, recalling the younger boy's confused face with no small amount of glee. What a rube his friend was! How would he take it, Riku wonders, if he learned that his fancy Keyblade wasn't actually the greatest thing in the universe?

"Why are you wasting your time here?" Maleficent's voice suddenly cuts through his thoughts, nearly sending the silver-haired boy toppling off his seat. He looks up to see the jade-skinned witch standing over him, one eyebrow perched high on her forehead. "Bothering with that traitorous boy? Need I remind you how he _replaced _you? Cast you aside for his new friends and the Keyblade."

Riku shrugs and looks away. "I'm just jerking Sora around is all. Having a little fun with him, y'know?"

"Ah. Well, I'm afraid 'fun' is a bit outside my realm of expertise," Maleficent comments dryly. The look on her face keeps any possible retort firmly locked in Riku's head as an idle thought. "But, whatever your motives, do not fail to recognize the darkness inherent in your jealous posturing."

"Jealous!" Riku rages, standing up with both gloved fists clenched.

"You must see what I mean."

Riku relaxes a fraction of a percent. "Yeah, well maybe. Still, would it kill you to mind your own business?"

"Certainly not," Maleficent replies coolly, already fading away. "But it may yet be the death of _you_."

She's gone before Riku can think of a response. And then Pinocchio rushes into the chamber, laughing like a madman. Well, madpuppet. Moments later, Sora and his new lady friend come scrambling after.

Pinocchio continues on into the next chamber, but Sora stops short, once again giving Riku his best confused face.

"Okay Riku!" he demands stepping up and thrusting a finger at his friend. "You owe me an explanation!"

"Do I though?" Riku shoots back with a scowl. "Well fine, I'll explain if you will. What's with _you_ huh? Seems to me all you want to do is run around flashing your Keyblade!"

Sora looks down at the blade in his hand. Oddly, he doesn't remember trying to call it to him…

"And I'll bet you care more about your new girlfriend than you do saving Kairi." Riku dismissively flicks his hand towards Azlyn.

"What?" Sora exclaims. "What are you talking about? Azlyn isn't my girlfriend! I mean that'd be…" The boy stops himself, realizing somewhere in the back of his mind that it wouldn't be a great idea to continue this line of defense. "Well, she's not, anyway! And of course I care about Kairi, but you've gotta understand, Riku, the Keyblade comes with a lot of other responsibilities…"

Sora's explanation is interrupted by a piercing, frantic scream from the next chamber over it can only have come from Pinocchio. All three teens rush immediately to the puppet boy's aid.

They arrive in a massive chamber, a large pink bowl-like place. In the middle of it all sits a large Heartless, purple and pink and all-trouble. A long, pipe-like arm sprouts from either side of its bulbous pink head, tiny yellow eyes staring down at them. Its body is structured like a cage, long sharp teeth acting as bars to imprison Pinocchio inside its belly. The whole thing is held up on four blue stalks that seem to have found firm purchase on the "floor".

The trio draw weapons and lean into their fighting stances, all conflicts put aside in the interest of Pinocchio's welfare.

Riku attacks first, diving straight for the pink head of the Heartless, thrusting out his purple and red sword. One of the teal arm-tubes reaches up and effortlessly swats the boy away. He goes flying, impacting against a "wall".

Azlyn and Sora charge together, ducking and weaving to avoid the thrashing arms of the Parasite Cage. Sora lands a hit against the purple bars of Pinocchio's prison, and in the process realizes that Pinocchio has ceased making any noise at all, sagging limply against the back of his cage.

Sora is so distracted by the puppet's state that he doesn't see the arm coming. It hits him like a ton of fleshy bricks, knocking him back against one side of the chamber. Azlyn joins him moments later, grunting angrily.

Riku rises, clenching the hilt of his sword so hard it actually hurts. Reaching into a deep, dark part of his mind that seems to regard his anger as fuel of some kind, an idea suddenly springs to his mind.

With a grunt and a defiant yell, the boy thrusts his hand forward, palm out, towards the head of the creature holding Pinocchio captive. With a loud _whoosh _of unchecked power, a ball of purple fire the size of the boy's torso flies through the air, striking the monstrosity's head.

The Parasite Cage rages, thrashing its arms all about madly, throwing its enflamed head back in sheer agony. It leans so far back that the "bars" of its stomach cage fly open, leaving Riku with a perfect opportunity to leap in and grab Pinocchio.

Sora and Azlyn try to intercept, but the erratic waving of the creature's tentacles prevents them from moving.

Finally the Heartless seems to get itself under control, thrusting its arms up to hold the ceiling, while the "floor" below it opens a dark hole. With a last roar, it releases its grip on the ceiling and drops down.

With a flippant grin and mocking salute, Riku, Pinocchio's limp form held in the crook of one arm, drops down the hole as well.

Sora and Azlyn rush for the portal, stopping short at its lip.

"Before we go, Sora…" Azlyn says, fixing the Keybearer with a look he can't quite decipher. "Before, when you were telling Riku I'm not your girlfriend because 'that would be…', what exactly were you gonna say?"

Sora rolls his eyes and laughs too loudly. "C'mon Azlyn, we… This is… He took Pinocchio so, I mean…" With nothing left to say in his defense, Sora leaps up and drops down the hole without another word.

"Uh huh," Azlyn mutters to herself, nodding gently. "That's what I thought."

**KH-KH-KH**

Sora and Azlyn float gently down to the deck of Geppetto's ruined ship, landing next to Telary.

"Feather Fall," the mage explains with a self-satisfied nod.

"Oh, won't you please give me back my son?" Geppetto pleads to Riku, practically fallen over on his hands and knees. Riku stands on a nearby high mound of wood, looking down at Geppetto like a gnat flitting in front of his face.

"No can do, grandpa," Riku replies derisively, shifting his grip on the unconscious form of Pinocchio. "There's something I need this puppet for. It…"

"He's no puppet!" Geppetto calls back, sounding angry this time instead of scared or pleading. Azlyn nods appreciatively. "That's my little boy you're holding and…"

"Yes, I suppose it _is _pretty unusual," Riku admits coolly, holding up Pinocchio and inspecting him. "Not many puppets have hearts after all. Could be the key to helping someone I care about who's lost her…"

"Kairi!" Sora interrupts, distraught. He takes a few steps forward and looks up at Riku with pure fear in his eyes. "Are you talking about…? Did something happen to Kairi?"

"Does it even matter to you?" Riku shake his head and begins walking away, heading for another dark hole leading out of Monstro's mouth. "Why don't you just run along and let me take care of things. After all, I'm sure there are a few worlds you haven't flashed your Keyblade around in yet."

With that he exits, taking Pinocchio with him to some unknown fate.

"No!" Geppetto cries out, futilely reaching out a hand towards the withdrawing Riku. Tears are openly streaming down his cheeks now. "Not my little boy. Not when he's so close to…"

"Don't you worry about a thing, Geppetto," Jiminy assures the toymaker, a fiercely determined look in his eyes that belies the moisture that has accumulated within them. "We're going to get Pinocchio back, no matter what it takes. Bet on it!"

"Yeah we are!" Azlyn confirms, cracking her knuckles threateningly.

Sora nods as well. "Riku's my friend, but he's gone way too far, even if it is for Kairi. I won't let him do anything to Pinocchio. Not even if I have to fight him myself."

"Very well," Geppetto says with a heavy heart. Despite meeting Sora only but an hour or so ago, he can tell that the Keybearer is capable, strong, and big-hearted. He's the kind of real boy the old toymaker hopes his son will be one day.

"Both ships are as ready as they're going to be, repairs-wise," Telary explains to Geppetto. "I want you to get them both prepped for takeoff, like I showed you. I don't know about you, but I'd like to be out of this smelly space mammal as soon as possible. Do you think you can handle it?"

The old man nods, determination replacing his fear.

Sora, Azlyn, Telary, and Jiminy all set out, climbing up the woodpile Riku had been standing on a minute ago to the high exit.

"That was a good thing you did for Geppetto," Azlyn tells her partner appreciatively, relishing the smile she gets in return. "Having something to do will keep him from worrying about Pinocchio. Plus, I want out of this place too."

The group enters a small, conical chamber with a high ceiling. A small sphincter opens and closes rhythmically at the top. Spaced out every few yards up are platforms constructed of bones and blue flesh leading all the way up.

Telary frowns at the setup. "Okay, so… Based on context clues, this is the _throat_, right? But there was that lower exit. What did it lead to?"

Sora and Azlyn look at one another and shrug, clueless.

"There were a bunch of uh, chambers or whatever," Sora replies.

"And, well… Glowing," Azlyn adds in, sputtering out an approximate explanation of what she'd seen while pursuing Pinocchio. "Then we were in some kind of, uh… bowl."

Telary regards the pair wearily, his face scrunching up in further confusion.

Jiminy jumps up on Sora's shoulder and interrupts the scene. "We can ponder the biology later, people! Or have you forgotten that every moment we waste is a moment that despicable boy could have spirited away Pinocch?"

"Right," Sora says, uncomfortable Jiminy's description of his best friend. Or perhaps just uncomfortable with the fact that Riku's actions are making such a characterization an accurate one.

The climb to the top is a bit arduous, and each member of the trio nearly takes a spill at some point, but eventually they all reach the highest platform. Telary looks up at the closed sphincter and frowns.

"How do we get it open?" Sora asks, shifting from one foot to the other.

"And do we really want to?" Azlyn chimes in, a repulsed look on her face. "Seriously, it looks like we're gonna be jumping up into a bu…"

"Nyah!" Telary interjects, waving his hands about to stop his counterpart from completing her filthy comparison. "To be perfectly honest, I'm pretty sure that, um… One of us is going to have to," he takes a big, audible _gulp_, "touch it."

"Not it!" Azlyn screams, her fingers flying to her nose.

"Not it!" Telary responds in kind.

Both of the Disney Castle dwellers fix Sora with a look.

The Keybearer sighs and reaches up, brushing his hand against the pink flesh. It shudders a moment, and then the muscles inside relax. The sphincter opens, and a sudden current of air grabs the trio and pulls them up and inside.

For several seconds their universe has no meaning. Up and down and sideways they bounce through a thin blue tunnel, moving upward to a peak and then sharply downward.

They finally tumble down into a huge chamber, nearly as big as Monstro's mouth, landing on a pink, fleshy platform in a figure eight shape. The rest of the chamber is filled with a seeming lake of glowing green liquid.

Riku stands at the other end of the platform, and when Sora finally reorients himself he see that his friend is fixing him and his partners with an enigmatic look.

"Why, Sora?" Riku sighs, shaking his head sadly, like he used to when they were kids and he'd find Sora stuck in strange or embarrassing situations. "Why can't you just let me help Kairi? This puppet had a heart, and now it's lost it to the Heartless. It could hold the key to helping Kairi!"

"What happened to Kairi?" Sora asks, standing and taking a cautious step forward. Azlyn and Telary rise and take up positions next to him, and out of the corner of his eye he spots Jiminy Cricket take off towards Pinocchio in a full sprint.

"Oh, Pinocchio…" Jiminy sighs, tears dripping from his eyes as he regards his fallen friend.

"We can help her, Sora," Riku says pleadingly, giving his best friend a half-smile. "If we team up, and we use the puppet…"

"His name," Sora interrupts, taking another step forward and calling the Keyblade to his hand, "is Pinocchio! And there's no way I'm letting you use him, no matter what it's for!"

Riku takes a step back, and his usually so carefully composed face collapses under the weight of an immense sadness.

"You'd rather fight me?" the boy stutters out brokenly, his voice so full of pain it affects even Azlyn. "Over a puppet that has no heart?"

"He may not have a heart," Sora replies, fighting hard to keep his voice steady and calm, like a hero's should be, "but at least he has a conscience."

"Conscience?"

"Yep."

Pinocchio moans out something indecipherable, just barely managing to raise his head to regard Jiminy.

"I feel terrible, Jim," the wooden boy groans, his eyes dizzy and unfocused. "I… I don't think I'm gonna make it…"

There's a flash across Pinocchio's face, and when it fades, the boy's nose has grown a full inch. He's lying!

"Oh." He raises his head, suddenly as perky as usual. "I guess I'm okay!"

Jiminy laughs loudly, jumping and crying out with pure joy.

"Sometimes, even when things don't make sense, your conscience can be the only thing left to guide you," Sora says in strong tones, regarding his _former_ friend with a sharp determination in his eyes. "And right now, mine is telling me that you're on the wrong side!"

Riku scowls at the Keybearer, his own sword appearing in his hand. "I see. Well Sora, I guess it's time I stopped messing around with…"

Riku's challenge dies before it can be fully issued, as with a flash of dark energy the Parasite Cage reappears, dropping down from above and landing hard enough to shake the platform.

Sora, Azlyn, and Telary stumble back as the vibrations shift the platform underneath them. Pinocchio and Jiminy streak past, headed for another sphincter exit.

The Heartless issues a roar of challenge, distracting Sora enough that he barely notices Riku wave his hand to open some kind of purple-black portal. With one last sneer, he steps into it and disappears.

The Parasite Cage roars once more and swings out its arm, sending the trio back another few steps. Azlyn stumbles and takes a single step off the platform, her shoe barely breaking the surface of the neon liquid below.

A loud sizzle rises to her ears, and she yelps as she raises her foot quick as a striking snake and places it back on the platform.

"Aw man!" she exclaims. "My shoe!" The edges of it are burned black, and a faint steam can be seen rising upwards.

Telary nods. "I was thinking that might be stomach acid. We're gonna want to avoid that."

"Uh, that could be hard," Sora points out nervously. Confused, Telary looks out to see the Cage with its arms submerged in the acid, pumping occasionally like an elephant filling its trunk for a bath.

"Uh oh."

With barely a moment's warning, the tiny mouth on the pink head of the Heartless opens wide, and ugly green liquid spurts forth like a blast from a cannon, spreading acid everywhere.

Ignoring his comrades' screams, Telary elbows his way to the front and concentrates on protecting the two people he holds most dear…

The acid stops dead, splashing against an unseen barrier held only inches in front of the trio. Telary's forehead scrunches up, and he screams against the strain.

After a minute that feels like an eternity, the deadly spray ceases. Telary takes a deep breath and collapses, Azlyn only barely managing to keep him from falling down completely.

"Oh, _ow_!" he groans. "Not… not sure I can do that again…"

"I don't think you'll have to," Sora says over his shoulder, his eyes focused on several spots of steam rising from burnt portions of the Parasite Cage's body. "The acid hurts it too, on the outside. If we can push it into the pool…"

"No problem," Azlyn says, laying her partner gently on the ground and stretching the tendons in her neck. With a loud scream she throws her shield, impacting the Heartless right in the chest.

The creature wobbles unsteadily, and Sora presses the advantage, charging forward and ramming his shoulder straight into it.

The Cage topples back, landing in the acid with a splash and sending green liquid gushing into the air. It screams, an animalistic sound that threatens to pierce the party's eardrums. It screams so long and hard that the "teeth" of its stomach cage open, revealing an orb of pure black darkness within.

"Easy target," Sora declares, thrusting the Keyblade out and preparing a fire spell. But before he can work through the necessary mental commands, light gathers at the blade's tip, just as it does when about to seal a Keyhole. When it coalesces, an orb of pure white Light ejects from the blade, colliding with the Heartless's dark orb. A burst of light, dull orange like a sunset, explodes from the point of contact.

When it clears, all that remains of the Parasite Cage is a crystal blue heart, floating away into the air.

For a moment Sora just stands, looking around the chamber while underneath the acid begins to sizzle and bubble, splashing up tiny drops of acid that, while not deadly, could cause severe burns.

"Riku!" he cries out in anguish. All the strength that allowed him to brandish a weapon at his best friend leaves him, and he can barely stand, let alone move.

What has happened to Riku?

Dimly, he feels a tug on his arm. He turns and regards Azlyn, who has a grip locked around his wrist, pulling him forward forcefully. He stumbles towards her, and she just keeps pulling. Telary has recovered from his dizzy spell, and is already waiting at the exit.

"C'mon, you idiot!" she yells, pulling Sora forward and actually throwing him over her shoulder in a fireman's carry. "We gotta get outta here!"

"Riku…"

"I know, Sora," the knight sighs sympathetically. "I know."

* * *

**I honestly feel like there's a lot of untapped emotion in the Monstro stage of Kingdom Hearts, and I kinda wanted to bring that to the surface more. Dunno how I did exactly, but I feel okay about it. The original plan for the world called for a lot more of Telary questioning the biological inaccuracies of Monstro's design, but I cut quite a bit of it out because I couldn't get the phrasing sound as funny on paper as it did in my head. Just a bit of a behind-the-scenes look for y'all.**

**As per usual, leave a review if you feel inspired to do so. It can really be about pretty much anything. Your feedback is like a Cure spell for my soul.**

**'Til next time!**


	22. A Greater Power

The creaks and groans of the ship around him are but dim background noise to Riku, standing in the cabin of Captain Hook's vessel _The Jolly Roger_ and gazing furtively at the girl laying before him.

It's odd, he thinks, not to mention disturbing, to see Kairi like this, completely unconscious and unresponsive. Riku has seen her sleeping before, and knows that it isn't exactly a quiet process. He remembers teasing her once that her snoring was keeping him up through the night, even though he lived several streets away. She hadn't talked to him for nearly two days after that comment.

Before now, it was the longest he'd ever gone without hearing Kairi's voice. And now a dark part of himself, hidden in the far reaches of his mind, worries that he will never hear the girl speak ever again.

"So sad," Maleficent says sympathetically, her long robe trailing softly against red velvet carpet, "to finally be reunited, only to find your friend in this reduced state. My, how life can be cruel."

Riku shakes his head numbly. "She's just like that puppet now. Lifeless."

"Yes, child."

"If only Sora knew," Riku mutters, more to himself than Maleficent. "If I had stopped playing games for one minute and just told him straight out about this, or even showed him…"

"You mustn't think that, Riku," Maleficent assures the boy, placing a comforting but firm hand on his shoulder. The boy is too numb to attempt even a cursory attempt to move away. "Your friend cares nothing for the girl now. He would rather protect a toy than help Kairi restore her heart."

Riku looks up at her, finally shaking her hand away. "What can I do to help her? How do I wake her up? Her heart…"

"Doubtless the Heartless have taken it," the sorceress says matter-of-factly. "Sometimes the forces of Darkness venture beyond even my control."

"What can I do? How do I help her? You have to know something!"

With a deep sigh, Maleficent turns away from the boy, both hands clutching the green orb at the top of her long staff. "There are things beyond even my knowledge at the moment Riku. I know not how to restore dear Kairi's heart."

Riku scowls at the woman, stepping up to her defiantly. "If you can't help me save Kairi, then what good are you? Huh? Why should I keep…?"

"Silence!" Maleficent snaps in a tone so forceful that Riku shrinks back a few steps, thoroughly cowed by the uncharacteristic outburst. After a moment, she seems to calm, her face regaining its usual cool composure. "There is an old legend. The legend of seven maidens with pure hearts, hearts that contain no darkness. My companions and I have come to refer to them as the Princesses of Heart. According to these legends, if these seven maids can be gathered together, they have the power to open the Door. A path to the heart of all worlds. A place called Kingdom Hearts."

"Kingdom Hearts…" Riku breathes incredulously, lookin down at Kairi. Surely a place so amazing could…

"Inside lies untold wisdom. The collected knowledge of all things in all worlds." Maleficent smiles. "There, you will surely be able to find a way to recover Kairi's heart. All we need are two more of these princesses."

"That girl Jasmine was one of them, wasn't she?"

Maleficent nods. "Yes. And you did a marvelous job retrieving her for us. In fact, your performance under my tutelage so far has been nothing less than exemplary." She reaches out and caresses Riku's chin, her fingers cold against the skin there. "You have proven yourself worthy."

"Worthy?" Riku asks, confused but giddy to be judged as such by someone so obviously powerful.

"Of a most magnificent gift." Maleficent raises her hands above her head, and suddenly a green aura surrounds Riku. He can feel it pouring strength into his heart, fortifying it. "The power to control the Heartless!"

He turns to Kairi, the power he feels giving him a new confidence that he has never felt before in his life. He will restore Kairi's heart, he's certain of it. And if Sora wants to stop him, well, he will be dealt with. Perhaps Riku could even _turn_ the meddlesome boy into a Heartless. His very own Sora to command at his will. Yes…

"Soon," he assures the prone girl before him, caressing her cheek gently. "We'll be together again soon, Kairi."

**KH-KH-KH**

"Can you read me, Geppetto?" Telary speaks slowly and directly into the microphone. Despite being so close that it seems to Azlyn that she could reach out and grasp Geppetto and Pinocchio's small, color-mismatched Gummi ship, the connection between them isn't spectacular.

All of the fighting going on in Monstro's stomach chamber had apparently not agreed with the whale, and it had been a mad dash back to the mouth, where thankfully Geppetto had managed to successfully start up both Gummis' systems. They'd barely all had time to strap in before being ejected. Violently.

"I hear you well, Telary," the toymaker replies, sounding contented to be with his son and free to start a new life not inside a giant whale roaming interspace. "All of our systems appear to be working just fine. My goodness, this is a fantastic little piece of machinery!"

"Yes, I love these ships too, Geppetto," Telary agrees with a bemused smile. "Now, the coordinates to Traverse Town should be in your navicomputer. Can you bring them up, like I showed you?"

"Oh, I have them already."

"Good deal." The pilot frowns. "Now it's going to be quite a trip without a warp Gummi. If we had a spare I'd offer it to you, but…"

"It's no problem." There's a giggling noise over the comm, obviously from Pinocchio. "We'll see you soon, yes?"

"First chance we get!" Jiminy Cricket cuts in, standing directly over the comm unit. "Now you remember to be a good boy, Pinocchio. Listen to your father and do what he tells you or I'll hear about it, and don't think I won't!"

"Yes Jiminy," Pinocchio replies, something like a sigh in his voice. "Are you sure you can't come with us, Jim? Being a good boy would sure be easier with you by my side."

"I know Pinocch," Jiminy replies wistfully. "But I made a commitment to Queen Minnie, and I intend to see it through. And besides, these guys are my friends too, and I have a feeling that they're heading into a whole mess 'a trouble. But I'll be thinking of you. That's a promise!"

"Good luck Jiminy," Pinocchio replies. "See you soon!"

Everyone else says their goodbyes, and a few minutes later Geppetto's ship takes off, tugging along at a steady pace to Traverse Town.

"So," Azlyn says, turning to Telary, "do we still have a lock on that world you located before, y'know, our adventures in space-marine biology?"

Telary presses a few buttons, checking over the data. "Yep, still do. We're a couple of hours out, since our trip inside Monstro took us off the trail quite a bit, but it won't be long now."

She nods, and Sora stands up, cracking his knuckles absently.

"I think I'll take my turn in the turret now," he says, sighing deeply and looking out into space, staring in the direction Monstro had taken off. "I kinda… Want to be alone."

"Sure thing Sora," Telary says with a nod. The Keybearer goes to the ladder, his head hanging low and eyes on the floor. "Hey, Sora." The boy turns around to regard the mage, who's giving him a borderline pitying look. "I'm sorry about your friend."

Sora nods once, sadly. "Thanks, Telary. I am too."

After a few minutes of silent flying, Telary sighs deeply. "Gosh, I can't imagine what Sora's going through! From what he said about Riku, I'd thought he was a nice boy. A little rough around the edges sure, but… I mean, kidnapping?"

Azlyn nods, then hesitates, her mouth opening and closing several times in rapid succession.

"What?"

The knight heaves a sigh of her own. "I think it might be worse than that. A lot worse."

Telary's eyes narrow suspiciously. "How so?"

"There were Heartless," she explains, though Telary thinks it's a bit odd she would point out something so obvious. "The one in the stomach, and a few while we were chasing Pinocchio. Heartless in a whale. So obviously there was no Keyhole to find."

Telary shrugs, still confused about the subject. "They must have sensed Sora's Keyblade, or maybe Riku was right and Pinocchio's heart was some kind of unique…"

"I thought those things too, at first," Azlyn interrupts, absentmindedly drumming on her thigh. "But then came that last fight in the stomach. We were just about to throw down with Riku, and the Heartless just happens to jump up outta nowhere, at that exact moment, because it can?" She shakes her head firmly. "No way that's a coincidence. That's not even a bet _I _would take."

"What, exactly, are you saying Azlyn? Do you think that somehow the Heartless…?"

"Purposely ran interference for Riku," Azlyn spits out, hoping that Telary won't think her theory absurd, despite the evidence in her favor. "That thing showed up right when it did because it was covering for him. Had to be."

For a long moment Telary says nothing, taking his lower lip between his teeth and worrying it.

"You may be right," he finally says, releasing his lip. The mage can feel his stomach tighten at the thought. Sora's best friend, in league with the Heartless. With that witch Maleficent?

"We can't tell Sora, though," Azlyn concludes, shaking her head vigorously. "Whether it's true or not, if we come to him with this and we don't have evidence, it could…"

"I agree." The older boy leans back in his chair and tries to concentrate on the space in front of him.

Things are getting far too complicated for his liking.


	23. Fathoms Below

_Splash!_

Despite the strange sensation of being completely submerged, Sora remains calm. After all, he's lived most of his life near water, surrounded by it constantly. He'd learned to swim at the age of three, won local competitions for it all the time. The water is as much his home as the islands themselves.

He opens his eyes, trusting Telary's magic to keep the sting of saltwater from them. Most of what he sees is a lot of blue. The grotto he's in is surrounded on all sides by blue stone, a long trench leading southways out of it.

Next, he takes a deep breath, the water easily filtering through his newly created gills, leaving his blood full of rich oxygen. He looks down and sees that his legs are gone, replaced by a single blue tail. Spinning around, he catches sight of a curved dorsal fin, not unlike that of a dolphin, sticking out of his rear.

He also sees Telary, struggling a bit to right himself, having unfortunately landed upside down. The mage's tail is bright orange, with no fin. The older boy seems a bit self-conscious about his shirtless state, or maybe just because he's upside down.

And then Sora spies Azlyn, and a bit more of Azlyn than he's used to. Her tail is a dark grey with long manta ray wings on either side of her hips, offset by the bright yellow color of the seashells against her chest.

"Well hello to you too, Sora," Azlyn says with a mockingly flirty smirk, noticing the Keybearer looking her over. "Not so gross now, huh?" She shakes her scaly hips and chuckles maniacally.

Sora rolls his eyes. "C'mon Azlyn, I never said you were gross, just…"

"Uh, guys?" Telary chimes in, looking nervously around his topsy turvy world. "Would you mind having this discussion later? Like, when I'm not upside down?"

Sympathetic to his friend's distress, Sora swims over to him, his movements jerky and ungainly. Swimming with a tail, he realizes, is much different, mechanically, from the two-legged version.

He reaches Telary after a moment, grabs his friend's shoulders and gently tugs him until he's floating in an upright position.

"You okay?" he asks.

Telary nods, brushing some invisible something off his left pectoral. "Sure I am. After all, it's just another day floating around underwater with a tail instead of legs, right?"

There's a cry from somewhere behind Sora, but when he turns he sees that it's just Azlyn, who's accidentally swum herself into a large rock.

"Stupid ocean!" she exclaims, shaking her head to clear it. Hearing the stifled giggles of her companions, the girl swivels around the glare at them, but accidentally overcompensates and goes a quarter revolution too far.

Sora's loud laughter at the girl's antics are interrupted by the sound of rapidly displacing water.

"Come on Ariel!" yells a deep, heavily accented voice. A moment later the source is revealed as a tiny red crab paddling his way through the water as fast as he can.

"Would you relax?" the exasperated voice of a young mermaid replies. Long red hair flows behind her as she swims, her slim green hips swishing through the water with an easy confidence. Behind her paddles a nervous looking yellow and blue fish. "We definitely left those guys in our wake back there. Oh!"

The girl stops short, noticing the trio floating around staring at her. Tilting her head curiously, she slowly drifts toward them.

"Um, hi there!" Telary greets the girl hesitantly, nodding to her and her companions. "How do you do?"

Ariel stops in front of the group and smiles at them all. Her yellow friend moves to hover over her shoulder, but the crab keeps a wary distance.

"Be careful, princess!" the crustacean loudly cautions. "I don't like the look'a dem!" Azlyn makes an offended face at the suggestion.

The redheaded girl giggles it off. "Oh, please Sebastian, calm down for once in your life. They don't look like those scary fish at all!" The girl slowly begins to circle Sora, looking him up and down in a manner that makes him very uncomfortable. With another twitch of her tail, she assesses Telary in a similar manner. "Although, y'know, I don't think I've ever seen any of these three around before."

"Refugees, I'd tink," Sebastian observes.

Sora looks to Telary, who nods. The Keybearer decides to go with it.

"Yeah, we're, uh, refugees," he lies, giggling nervously. "We came to, uh, here, to escape… y'know… Bad stuff."

"I see." The mermaid stops in front of the boy and smiles. "Well, my name is Ariel. This is my friend Flounder," she gestures to the yellow fish, who bobs up in down in a sort of nod, "and the crab is Sebastian."

The crab in question swims forward. "Alright, missy, dat's enough small talk fer you. We gotta get back to the palace b'fore yer fadder finds out you snuck away!"

Ariel rolls her eyes and heaves a sigh. "Okay, Sebastian, okay! C'mon, I'll show you the way to the palace."

She turns and swims away, the other two locals falling in behind her. Sora follows after her, really getting the hang of this new type of swimming.

Telary and Azlyn follow, but their movements are still jerky and unrefined.

"Why are your friends swimming so funny?" Ariel asks Sora, one eyebrow quirked. "You'd think they didn't even know how their tails worked!"

"Uh…" Sora stammers. If it weren't for the fact that he's completely submerged in water, his mouth would be dry as a bone from nerves.

"We come from an ocean that's pretty far away," Telary jumps in to explain. "There's a lot of, uh, pressure differences that we aren't used to yet. We'll be fine as soon as we…" Azlyn yelps as she knocks her shoulder against a rock she wasn't quick enough to avoid. "As soon as we can acclimate."

"Well, you'll have plenty'a time ta practice on our way to de palace," Sebastian grumbles over his shoulder. "Now, c'mon, move it out double time b'fore…"

Around the trench's corner appear a group of fast moving Heartless, tiny jelly-fish like creatures, the Heartless symbol prominently displayed across their faces. Ariel gasps and stops cold, while Sebastian and Flounder reverse direction entirely and move to take refuge behind a rock.

Sora summons the Keyblade, but Azlyn and Telary find themselves weaponless due to the transformation.

"I probably should have thought of that," the mage sighs. Still, he and his counterpart swim up to float beside Sora, while Ariel hurriedly joins her friends. "I can still use some magic, but it might be tricky."

"Fists should do me fine," Azlyn agrees.

There's no more time to waste, as the trio of Heartless are upon them, their tentacles swinging towards the trio.

Sora swims above and slashes down, eliminating one creature, but leaving an opening for the others, who smack at the Keybearer once more.

Azlyn moves to run interference, but a stray hit sends electricity sizzling along her body, shocking her to near paralysis.

"Uh, heal!" Telary yells as he moves his hands in a complicated gesture. The normal green glow of a curing spell appears over Azlyn, but it's much more diminished than usual.

Sora finishes a second opponent with a slash, but as he turns to face the remaining Heartless, he overcompensates the turn, missing it completely.

The boy closes his eyes, expecting to feel a sting shoot across his back, but there's only the loud _whoosh _of displaced water.

He turns to see that Ariel has joined the fight, slamming into the Sea Neon with a powerful shoulder blow. He's certainly impressed by the girl's courage.

The Heartless twists to attack her, but she manages to outmaneuver it and grab onto its bulbous head. With a grunt, she slams the creature into the rock wall so hard it dissipates immediately into inky Darkness.

Sora swims over to her, a big smile on his face. "Whoa! Way to go Ariel! You really…"

"What in da name'a Neptune did ya do dat fer?" Sebastian roars furiously as he emerges from his hiding place, Flounder close behind. "You coulda gotten yerself hurt, or killed! Tink'a what yer fadder would do ta me den!"

Ariel heaves another sigh and shakes her head.

"Man, Ariel," Azlyn chimes in, recovered from her shock now, "your dad sounds like some kind of guy."

The mermaid nods agreeably. "I know. Believe me, it isn't easy having a father that's king of the ocean."

"King?" Telary exclaims.

"So you're a princess too, huh?" Sora says, thinking of Jasmine, and Jafar's mention of seven princesses and a door.

"Too?" the girl inquires.

"Uh, I didn't say that."

The princess looks confused for a second, but shrugs it off. "Well, anyway, like I was saying, Daddy can be pretty overprotective sometimes. He thinks if he doesn't keep an eye on me I'll wander off and get into trouble."

"Like you did just now?" Azlyn says mockingly, arms crossed.

"Why are we still swimmin' around her waiting fer dem tings to come back and get us?" Sebastian sighs. "Let's get to da palace quick, eh?" He turns and takes off down the trench. Most of the party follows along after him, but Sora and Ariel hang back a bit.

"By the way," the Keybearer tells the girl in low whispers as they make their way out of the trench and into a huge undersea canyon, "thanks for helping me out back there. If it weren't for you, I'd be a goner!"

"You're welcome Sora!" Ariel replies, the red hair swirling around her face making Sora think achingly of Kairi. "And welcome to Atlantica!"

**Atlantica**

The party journeys perhaps half an hour through wide valleys and underwater gorges, finally emerging through a small tunnel to see what Sebastian introduces as King Triton's palace.

It's a grand castle, several tall towers glittering gently in the sun. The outer courtyard is a large area with a single road running through it, passing under a giant hollowed out conch shell about halfway through. They pass by a small group of several young merpeople, who cheerily wave to Ariel as they pass. In fact, several clusters of people float all through the courtyard. Presumably the refuges Sebastian had mentioned earlier. There are too many for Sora's liking.

At least, he thinks, Atlantica hasn't yet gone the way of Agrabah, completely devoid of all signs of life.

That could change however, in an instant. The familiar sounds of dark portals opening startles the group, and they turn to see that a group of Heartless have arrived, a trio of humanoid creatures covered in green scaly armor. Yellow eyes peer out from their shadowy faces, their heads elongated and tapering off at one end like a torpedo.

The merfolk all scream and scatter, until a yellow stream of pure power, glowing like a lightning bolt in a summer storm, shoots out from behind Sora and hits all three of the dark creatures. When the light fades, they're gone.

Sora and his group turn to see the source of their rescue, and find an older merman floating calmly between the palace gates. In his hand he holds a golden trident, still glowing from the energy attack. Taking a deep breath, he lowers his weapon and strokes his large white beard thoughtfully. Sora also notices a golden crown atop his head.

"Fear not!" the man announces with authority. The tone sounds like it comes natural to him, and in a strange way the man's words actually _do _calm Sora's fears. "I do not know how those dreadful creatures pierced my security measures, but rest assured it will not happen again! As long as I have the power of this trident, I will make my people safe!"

A great clamor arises from the assembled merfolk and fish, all of them eagerly and thankfully celebrating the proclamation of their king. After a few moments of rejoicing, the crowd scatters once more.

"Daddy!" Ariel says happily, swimming up to Triton and placing a gentle kiss on her father's cheek. "You were amazing!"

Triton accepts the affection of his youngest daughter, but frowns at the girl as she withdraws. "Thank you Ariel. I hope that you'll see now that those creatures are dangerous threats to this kingdom, and that you need to remain under my protection at the palace like your sisters, and the rest of my citizens."

The mermaid rolls her eyes, tossing her hair simultaneously to hide it.

"Behold!" Sebastian announces to the guests from "another ocean", waving a claw at the king with a grand flourish. "You swim before da king of de seas, His Royal Majesty King Triton!"

Telary bows deeply, and when he notices his companions aren't following suit nudges them both until they get the memo and repeat his actions.

"They helped us out against some of those bad guys earlier," Ariel explains cheerfully. "I think they could really be good for the kingdom!"

Triton frowns at the trio thoughtfully, his hand pensively stroking his white mustache. "I don't recall ever seeing these people before. And if there is one thing I make sure to know, it's my subjects…"

"Differentcurrent," Telary says, the word's coming out all at once in a nervous rush. "Um I mean, we're not from around here, this ocean. I mean we are from _an _ocean, like all underwater merpeoplefolkguys… But the current is different. Pressure tuff, water temperature. We're just passing through here, really. Gotta find the Keyhole…"

"What did you say?" the sea king interrupts, his face a sudden storm of consternation.

"Current?" Telary squeaks nervously.

Ariel moves closer to the group, circling Sora inquisitively. "What's a Keyhole?"

"Well…" the Keybearer begins to explain.

"There is nothing like that here in my kingdom, I assure you!" Triton blusters, drifting a bit closer to the trio and nearly imperceptibly shaking his trident threateningly. "It's nothing but a myth…"

"Like mermaids?" Azlyn mutters to Telary behind one hand.

"But daddy, are you sure…?"

Triton turns to his daughter, his posture becoming less threatening but still firm. "Ariel, the subject is closed. Now, you are to stay _in _the palace and _away _from these three, understand?"

Ariel shakes her head and swims off, Flounder following quickly after.

"Uh, Your Majesty, sir…" Telary says.

"You three are to stay away from my daughter. Am I clear?" The trio all nod. "I can offer you my protection, that's my duty as ruler of Atlantica, but you are not to speak to my daughter again!"

"Where the hell do you get off, telling us to…?" Azlyn rages, thrusting forward at the sea king. Luckily, Sora manages to grab her by the tailfin and keep her held back.

"We understand, Your Majesty," Telary says obediently, bowing once again. "We'll just, um, take some time before being on our way."

The trio swim off for the palace, and Triton sighs, relaxing once again.

"Sebastian," he says, turning to the Royal Composer, "do you think I was too harsh on Ariel and those others?"

"Absolutely not, Majesty," the crab declares, crossing his claws over his chest and shaking his head. "Teenagers need a firm hand, dey do. I must admit though, de talk of dis Keyhole somewhat intrigues me…"

The sea king glares at the crustacean, who acquiescingly ends his line of questioning. "Have you heard from our scouts lately? Have they gathered any more information on these creatures?"

Sebastian nods. "According to dem, de creatures are coming from Ursula's grotto. Just like you suspected, Highness."

The king gives his beard a concerned stroke. "I see that exile from the palace has taught that conniving witch nothing. This time she's merely using minions to menace my people, instead of doing it herself."

"She does pose a significant threat, my king. I still remember when I found out what she done to my brodder…"

"I believe," Triton says, fixing the crustacean with a stern look, "I gave you orders to steer Ariel _away _from such dangers, did I not?"

Sebastian bows low. "And I shall, Your Majesty. I won't let dat girl outta me sigh for one single minute!"

The king raises one eyebrow, lookin around for show. "Really? Well then your eyes must be better than I'd thought, if _you_ can somehow see her when _I_…"

Getting the king's point, Sebastian bows and takes off in the direction Ariel had fled, muttering under his breath. "What playing babysitter to some suicidally adventurous princess has to do with musical composition, I'll never know…"

**KH-KH-KH**

"Did you find anything?" Telary whispers to his companions from his position by the door to one of the grand chambers of King Triton's palace. Despite the harsh words of the sea king, the trio knows that the Keyhole must be somewhere in Atlantica, and the palace seems an important enough place to consider.

It's been nearly a half hour since they began their room to room search, Telary volunteering to play lookout while Sora and Azlyn did the searching. So far, they've come up empty handed.

"No, nothing yet," Sora reports, examining a mural done entirely in coral growing out of one wall. The woman it depicts bears a striking resemblance to Ariel, from her copper-toned hair to her piercing eyes, but is clearly older, with a hint of dignity about her that Ariel doesn't quite yet possess. "But I wonder if…"

"That's my mother," Ariel chimes in suddenly, swimming down from the room's shadowed ceiling, her hair catching the light off its crystal chandelier.

"Oh," Sora says after overcoming his shock at the princess's sudden appearance. "Um, she's very beautiful. Looks like you too."

Ariel smiles and nods. "Everyone says that." The smile suddenly drops into a mournful frown. "I wouldn't know though. She died when I was only a little girl."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Telary sympathizes, patting the mermaid on the shoulder.

"Is that why your dad's such an overprotective prick?" Azlyn asks, less sensitively. The question gets her dirty looks from both of her companions, but the knight remains unfazed.

The redhead sighs, but nods slowly. "Yes, I think so. It used to be that even _music _was banned from Atlantica, but I managed to convince him otherwise. But from what I've heard, he's never been the same since my mother died." There's silence for a long minute, but eventually Ariel looks up to the trio and gives them a knowing smile. "You're looking for that Keyhole, aren't you?"

"Whaaat?" Telary squeaks. "Of course not! Your dad told us not to! We were just, um, admiring the architecture of…"

"Yeah, we were," Sora replies coolly, not wishing to lie to Ariel or hear Telary ramble incoherently for seemingly endless minutes. "I know your dad isn't too keen on the idea, but it really is important that we find it."

The princess nods. "Well, I wanted to show you guys something. It's pretty special to me but, well, there's just something telling me that you need to see it."

"What is it?"

Ariel turns and swims to the door. "Follow me, and I'll take you right there."

The trio follow the princess through the wide hallways of the underwater palace, steadily moving down levels as they go. Eventually, they reach a tiny door. Ariel opens it, and the group finds themselves suddenly outside, the sun shining through the water above.

"Ariel!" Telary stage whispers, looking around nervously. "Your father said you couldn't leave the palace. Us too!"

The mermaid just giggles. "Don't worry Telary, I do this all the time! I've never been caught before."

"It's true," Flounder chimes in, descending from above and startling Telary near to fainting.

"Now c'mon! It's just out in the valley this way."

As the group swims off once again, Sebastian emerges from behind a rock, where he'd been able to see everything. With a frown and a bit of a private grumble, he takes off after the princess and her band of strange outsiders as stealthily as he knows how.

Eventually they come to a wall at the edge of the undersea valley, a large stone leaning up against it. Ariel nods at the stone and grips its edge, gesturing for Sora to help. He latches on as well, and together the pair pull back the stone to reveal a small tunnel.

Through the tunnel they enter a small cave. The grotto is bathed in light from a small hole at the top, shifting and shimmering off of hundreds of objects that line the chamber's walls, stacked in shelves that extend one over the other to near the very top.

Sora sees chests and glasses and all manner of pottery, though most of it is chipped or rusted.

"This is my collection!" Ariel announces proudly, rising and twirling around twice for effect. "It's all from the surface above, I think." She rushes over to a porcelain figure of a ballerina, posed on one pointed foot, arms raised. "I have no idea what any of it is, and as far as I know there isn't anyone who can explain it to me. Have you ever seen anything like… Like this!"

The mermaid opens a flat box, revealing a full set of silverware, still shiny despite the amount of time it must have spent underwater.

"Uh…" Sora hesitates, taking a moment to debate internally whether it would be worse to disrupt world order or pretend that he _doesn't know what freaking silverware is_! "No, I have no idea. That surface world is, uh, sure has some wild stuff."

Ariel closes the box and returns it to its place next to the ballerina, shaking her head softly. "It's all so wonderful though!" She sighs and lets herself drift downward, reclining on a long smooth rock in the midst of the cave. "Can I tell you something, Sora? Just between the two of us?"

The Keybearer makes a quick look around to check that his companions are occupied, seeing that Telary is examining an old spyglass and Azlyn is rifling through various chests, undoubtedly looking for anything with value that could possibly translate into munny. Assured that his and Ariel's conversation will be private, he drifts down to sit beside the reclining princess.

The mermaid sits up and cups a hand around Sora's ear, the close contact bringing a blush to the boy's face. "I wish I could go up above, sometimes. And stay there." She pulls back and gives the hole at the top of the cave a wistful look. "Isn't it amazing? Just the thought of other places, other _worlds_…" She frowns and returns her gaze to Sora, something sad and embarrassed in her eyes. "I sound crazy, don't I? I mean, the surface and human stuff, sure but… Other worlds? Could you imagine?"

The boy from another world grins sheepishly, absently scratching his bicep. "You don't sound crazy at all."

Truthfully, she sounds like Riku. The Riku from back home on Destiny Islands, not whatever kind of unpleasant person he's apparently become. Ever since the arrival of Kairi he had spoken of other worlds with the same kind of reverence and awe as Ariel.

The older boy had been so fervent in his desire that, at some point, Sora had just found himself caught up in it. Sitting her now, the boy begins to question whether or not he ever really wanted to leave his home or not. Certainly if given the choice at this point, he'd do anything to have never left the islands and their calm security.

"I remember I used to feel the same way…" he chuckles, thinking back.

"Used to…?"

Sora blanches nervously, giving Ariel a sheepish grin. "Well, I still do but, uh, y'know, being in another ocean is kinda like, y'know, a whole other world."

The princess nods, apparently satisfied. "I've never even left Atlantica." She swims up and gestures for everyone's attention. "Now, let's find that Keyhole!

"But Ariel, your dad said…" Telary begins in cautionary tones.

"Oh, who cares?" The princess swims over to a stack of barrels sitting against one wall. With a grunt of effort, she pushes them aside, revealing a three-pronged indentation set back in a blue stone wall. "Look here! Do you think this could be anything?"

Curious, Sora summons the Keyblade and swims closer to the indentation. In a way, it reminds him of the ornate Keyhole set back in the walls of the Cave of Wonders, and the tree branch back in the jungle.

The Keyblade doesn't seem to agree however. There's no sudden gathering of light, no beam, not even a twitch.

The Keybearer turns to the mermaid with a frown. "I don't think it's anything, or my Keyblade would have sealed it by now."

A frown of her own blemishes Ariel's face, but she nods acquiescingly.

"It's not in the palace, and it's not here," Telary recollects, swimming in a lazy, aimless pattern as he scratches at his chin. "Ariel, is there anything else significant in this wo… I mean, in Atlantica? Keyholes tend to show up in big important places. Though looking back, they do seem to have an aversion to palaces…"

"There is a place," the princess blurts out happily, looking smugly satisfied for thinking it up. "It's an old ship wreck out by the open ocean. I've never been there, but my daddy has been telling me to stay away for as long as I can remember, so…"

"There's gotta be something pretty great there," Azlyn finishes, appreciating Ariel's anti-authoritarian streak. It seems to match her own quite nicely. "It's worth a shot, I say! Plus, there could be, like, pirate gold inside, and there's no way I'm passing that up!"

"Uh, I don't know," Flounder says in stutters and stammers. "It sounds pretty dangerous. Not to mention spooky. And, and there are people that say a shark…"

Ariel rolls her eyes, already leading the way out of her grotto. "You are such a guppy, Flounder."

Sora and Azlyn follow the princess to the exit, but the knight notices Telary hanging back, idly examining the porcelain ballerina. It seems to be the topper of some kind of music box.

"Telary?"

The mage looks up at his counterpart, looking a bit pale. "Sunken ships are one thing, and Heartless are another but… I mean, a _shark_, Azlyn!"

His friend swims forward and takes him by the arm, pulling him along to the exit in her strong grip. "Whaddya know," she muses to herself, "I've got a guppy of my own."

Once he's sure he won't be spotted, Sebastian emerges from his hiding place in a pile of jewelry, frowning deeply.

On the one claw, his mission from the king is to report back on any dangerous activities his youngest was participating in, which means it would be best if he followed the girl out to the shipwreck and made an account of her actions there.

On the other claw, now that he knows that Ariel is about to do something that could really threaten her wellbeing, perhaps he should report her to the king now and head off any potentially harmful conduct?

"It used ta be," he grumbles as he skitters for the exit, his claws clicking together in expression of his annoyance, "dat da biggest choice I had ta make was 'minor' or 'major'. Oh, how did my life come ta dis?"

The tiny composer exits the cave, but still it is not empty, for as soon as he has gone, twin eels descend through the hole up top, having seen everything with their mismatched eyes: one a milky white, the other yellow.

"So," mutters their eight-legged mistress, reclining in her cushioned conch shell in a lair far from the grotto, far from the palace, far from damn well _anywhere_ as a matter of fact, "it seems that the Keybearer and the princess have become the best of friends. Interesting, that. More interesting still if that ginger bimbo is one of Maleficent's princesses. I wonder…?"

What a coup that would be for the power dynamic in their little consortium! With the girl in her possession, she could have a very compelling bargaining chip…

"And even if she isn't of use to Maleficent," the sea witch muses, rising from her throne and smiling nastily into the cauldron in the center of her lair, "she _could _prove useful in a more… personal capacity…"

For a moment, she listens to the loud shriek of her shriveled captives, poor unfortunate merfolk so desperate to be granted their hearts' desire they'd been willing to cut a deal with the sea witch. Unfortunately, wishes are something of a seller's market, and when it had come time to pay up, every one of the now shriveled polyps had come up short.

Well, they're paying the price now.

**KH-KH-KH**

The sight of the sunken ship before them, resting just on the lip of a large cliff that leads down into an impossibly deep blue void, fairly awes the trio, and Ariel as well. It makes Sora think of lessons taught in school of ships ravaged by storms, or raided by pirates.

The thought of school awakens a sudden, sharp emotional pang inside. His teachers, his friends, class pets even, all gone. Wiped out by the Heartless.

And if he doesn't find the Keyhole soon, Sora knows that the same fate could befall Atlantica. That won't happen on his watch.

"How long has this been down here, Ariel?" Telary asks curiously as the group swims their way to the wretched galleon. It's a massive ship, probably seventy feet from stem to stern. The sails are gone, most floating gently in the water's current, but the mast still stands as tall and proud as ever, unwilling to admit defeat.

"I've been hearing legends about it as long as I can remember," the princess replies, as awestruck by the sight as the offworlders. "It's amazing! I can't even imagine how great it must have looked, sailing the seas." She grins sheepishly. "Sometimes I go to the surface, just to take a peek. I've seen a few ships, but they're way smaller than this."

Noticing a recessed stairwell leading belowdecks, Sora leads the group down and into the belly of the ship.

None of them notice the dark shadow gliding over the entrance.

The hold is sparse, just a large room with a single picture window looking out over the ocean. Debris lies everywhere, boxes and barrels of all descriptions.

Azlyn scowls. "What kinda two bit shipwreck is this?" She moves closer to a pile resting below the window, sifting through its contents with a disdainful look on her face.

She's too caught up in her scavenging to notice the huge shape bearing down on the window.

Telary, luckily, does, realizing immediately the danger his counterpart is facing.

"Azlyn!" he screams, lurching forward a foot. The knight looks up, puzzled, just as a massive grey shark knocks against the picture window, shattering it and sending glass up into the water.

Sora summons the Keyblade on instinct, but Azlyn's reflexes are also quick enough to give her time to duck beneath the tooth filled maw of the gluttonous shark.

The great creature roots around, shaking its head and snapping its teeth in a hungered frenzy, but unfortunately for its stomach, the predator is unable to break in. The space is just too tight. With something like a resigned grunt, the shark retreats.

After a moment, everyone manages to calm down. Telary and Flounder cautiously creep their way out from behind a pile of debris where they'd taken refuge.

"I suggest," the mage says, clearing his throat and trying to regain a bit of dignity, "that we wait a minute before exiting. With any luck, our friend will find something better to eat."

The party nods in agreement, but Ariel's eyes light up as something catches her eye. Grinning, she swims over to a pile of debris near the back of the ship, pushing things over to reveal a hinged trapdoor on the floor beneath.

"Look in here!" she exclaims, popping the hatch with a grunt of effort. She swims down immediately, and Sora follows.

The pair finds themselves in a smaller storage space, still looking neatly organized despite the sinking. Large barrels and crates sits stacked to one side, lashed to the walls with heavy rope.

A single chest rests on the floor, the latch most likely broken when it fell. Ariel swims up to it and pops the lid, revealing a three-pronged trident head made entirely of crystal.

"This," Ariel remarks, lifting the object and examining it with a pleased look on her face, "looks like it would fit perfectly in the indent in my grotto! I wonder…"

Sora requests to hold the object, and the princess acquiesces. He looks over it, and concludes that it does in fact seem a perfect size for the indentation.

"I guess it's worth a shot," he agrees with a smirk. "And if not, at least you've got something else for your collection."

They return to the main hold, showing the others the treasure they'd found. Telary examines the thing and informs the party that there does seem to be a bit of an aura around it.

"Let's go try it out!" Ariel exclaims, swimming for the broken window.

"Uh, are you sure that shark's not gonna be out there, w-waiting for us?" Flounder asks nervously, wringing his fins together.

The princess rolls her eyes and continues on her way. Sora, Azlyn, and Telary follow after.

The water around the shipwreck seems clear, but Telary and Flounder remain cautious, ever wary of a renewed shark offensive.

"Damn guys," Azlyn says with an offending chuckle, "would you just relax? You think a big dumb shark would be smart enough to wait around and ambush us? No way, as soon as that thing decided we were too tough to get at, it took off for an easier meal, I'm telling you…"

The shark of course attacks at that moment, because irony is not lost even underwater.

Sora sees it first, calling out for the group to scatter. They all manage it in enough time, luckily, even as the huge grey predator plows through the water like a torpedo with teeth. Its strong current knocks the party even further apart.

Telary tucks Flounder under his arm and barrels downward, in his eagerness to escape losing track of the practice he's had at it.

Sensing weakness, the shark dives for the mage and his yellow cargo, something ugly in its eyes even as its mouth contorts into a satisfied smile. This is too easy.

"Oh no you don't!" Azlyn cries out, knocking into the creature with all the force of a rock from a sling, wrapping her arms around its tail and dragging it deep, away from the now ascending Telary.

It turns and snaps its teeth, nearly getting a bite from the flesh of Azlyn's shoulder. It can't turn enough, however, with the knight grasping its tail.

It decides for a different strategy, whipping its tail violently to the left. The force is too great for Azlyn, and she loses her grip and stumbles away, turning involuntary flips through the water as she does so.

The shark rounds on her and shoots forward, hell-bent on getting not only a decent bite, but also revenge on the one who dared float between a meal and its mouth.

Sora and Ariel are on hand to help, descending rapidly towards the girl from Disney Castle, but Ariel manages to get their first, by virtue of being used to her tail. With a defiant shout, the princess stops dead in front of the creature and thrusts her fist out, remembering a story her sister told once of an old Atlantican folk hero defeating a shark with a swift punch to the nose.

Her fist impacts directly in between the predator's nostrils, a torrent of bubble rising as it involuntarily exhales.

It gives Ariel the stink eye, but the girl stands firm, her hard eyes defying the thing to make another attempt at eating her friend.

Realizing in the recesses of its dim brain that a meal isn't worth all this trouble, the shark snaps its teeth once more to save face, then turns tail and makes a beeline for the open ocean.

Unfortunately, it's so disoriented from Ariel's assault to its face that it blindly attempts to swim through the large circular opening of an anchor that has sunk deep into the ground. The opening allows its head through, but its torso is simply too large. The predator squirms and struggles, but finds itself incapable of releasing itself.

Empowered by their opponent's trapped state, Telary and Flounder float in front of it, gloating on their minds.

"Ha ha!"

"Serves you right, you big bully!"

It may be confused, it may be stuck, but the shark will be damned before it lets these two mock it. With the last bit of defiant energy in its body, the shark viciously snaps its teeth at the pair.

They yelp and hightail it over to where the others are waiting, all of them ready to get out of here and test their theory of the crystal trident.

The journey back to Ariel's grotto is filled with excited chatter, mostly Azlyn praising Ariel for her quick actions and powerful punch.

"For a princess," the knight says with as much respect in her voice as Sora heard when she was addressing Queen Minnie, "you sure know how to dish it out. I mean seriously, I'd hate to go a few rounds with you…"

"_ARIEL!"_

_"_Uh oh," Sora blurts out as he realizes that Triton, king of Atlantica, is floating in front of the entrance to his daughter's grotto, clutching the golden trident in one hand and looking mad as hell.

Sebastian floats beside him, trying to look as tough as his king, but mostly just seeming nervous about the whole affair.

"Um, hi daddy!" Ariel blurts out, shoving the crystal trident into Telary's hands. Almost on reflex, he shoves it into Azlyn's hands, who freaks out and passes it off to Sora. The princess swims up to her father, endeavoring to look as innocent as possible. "We were just, um, we…"

"Ariel, you deliberately disobeyed me!" the sea king exclaims admonishingly, frowning deeply at his youngest daughter. "I told you to stay away from these people and inside the palace!" He notices the crystal trident in Sora's hands and his expression becomes impossibly more furious. The king reaches out and snatches it out of the Keybearer's hand easily.

He tosses it upward as his trident begins to glow, painting the water around him the dark orange of an angry sunset. A lightning bolt sizzles forth from the trident's forks, striking the mysterious object. There's a flash of light and a loud crash, and suddenly the crystal is in a million tiny pieces, floating aimlessly downward.

Ariel looks at her father, heartbroken and on the verge of tears. That doesn't last long though, soon twisting into a look of pure anger to rival the old merman's.

"How could you?" the princess chokes out, shutting her eyes in despair and turning tail, swimming off for parts unknown. Sebastian moves to follow her, but finds himself stopped by Flounder's outstretched fin. The fish shakes his head at the composer. He knows Ariel just needs some time spent alone

For a brief, nearly unnoticeable instant, the look of resolve on the sea king's face turns to one of fatherly concern, but by the time his gaze is back on the trio, the fury has returned.

With a sharp gesture of the trident, Triton orders the offworlder trio into Ariel's grotto. Heads bowed, they enter.

Luckily for Ariel, the items inside the cave remain intact, sitting peacefully on the shelves ringing the room.

"I think we're in trouble," Telary squeaks out nervously.

The sea king enters the cave and floats in front of the trio, a look of pure scorn on his face.

"I know who you are," he says, his voice pure steel and anger. "I know where you come from. You're not from another ocean… You're from another world!"

Sora feels like he's swallowed a gallon of seawater, his stomach literally turning at the harsh words of the sea king. It's the same stab of guilt and rage at himself he'd felt after finding Alice and Jasmine gone. The same feeling of failure.

It's part of his duty as wielder of the Keyblade to blend in as much as possible, not letting on to his offworlder status, and he has failed in it.

"How do you know about other worlds?" Azlyn asks, her hands balling into fists almost reflexively.

"You must be the Keybearer then," Triton says, ignoring the knight's question completely. His angry look has something else mixed in with it, Sora notices. Something in the sea king's eyes. Fear, the boy thinks.

"Yes, I am," Sora says solemnly, calling the Keyblade to his hand. Triton looks at it as if it's a loaded cannon, ready to fire at any moment. "And I came to your kingdom to…"

The trident flares yellow in Triton's hand once again, startling the boy into silence. "You should not have come at all. You must have been told not to meddle in the affairs of other worlds! Keybearers shatter peace and bring ruin."

"Like hell!" Azlyn snarls, lunging at the sea king for the second time in as many hours. Luckily for her long-term health, Telary manages to intercept her before she can reach the merman.

"I may not agree with the way she's expressing herself," Telary says, looking at the sea king as defiantly as he can manage, "but Azlyn is right! There's no way Sora could _ever _do anything like that. In fact, his 'meddling' has saved a lot of…"

"It doesn't matter," Triton interrupts, the authority in his voice absolute. "Whether intentional or not, you are a menace to my world, and I cannot tolerate it! There is no place in my ocean for you or your key. And so you must leave at once!"

Having said his piece, Triton turns tail for the exit of the grotto, knowing he has done the right thing. So what if the boy had saved his daughter? If the legends his father had passed down to him rang true, then certainly it was only a matter of time before the devastation always wrought by Keybearers rained down on Atlantica.

Thinking once more of his daughter, Triton stops short out of the entrance to the grotto. Looking back, he has half a mind the go back in there and vaporize every vile, disgusting human thing and contraption he could lay eyes on.

But enough damage has been done to the relationship between him and his youngest, he thinks. He only wishes that Ariel could see _why _he acted as he did. Only ever to protect her, and all the denizens of his kingdom from whatever threat presented itself, whether it be vile humans, deadly creatures stealing hearts, or spiky haired Keybearer's shattering the worlds' delicate balance.

Anything to save the people he loves from ruin.

Back in the grotto, Sora sits on the center reclining rock, staring at the Keyblade in his hand and contemplating the words of Triton.

"C'mon, Sora," Azlyn encourages, sitting beside him so close their bare shoulders rub together, "you can't let what that jerk said get to you."

"But what if he's right?" he boy asks, turning to his companion with a worried look. "What if everything I've been doing means more bad things happen eventually? I mean, I haven't exactly been following the 'don't interfere' rule."

"It's true," Telary admits, leaning against the side of the rock himself, his tail resting on the sandy floor below him. With a sigh, he pushes himself up to float before Sora. "I mean, we've been hardcore ignoring that rule ever since you ran out to stop Alice's trial. There hasn't been a single world you've stepped foot on in which you haven't significantly altered the natural course of events."

Sora just looks up at the older boy, mouth agape. The tone of Telary's speech indicates it's some kind of pep talk, but the words themselves…

"Wow, thanks Tel," Azlyn mocks, also surprised at her counterpart's unusual harshness. "Say, are we gonna get billed for all this therapy?"

The mage sighs, chuckles, and shakes his head, like he's teaching a class of children who just don't get his lesson. "What I mean to say is yes, you've interfered in the affairs of worlds that aren't yours. You've meddled so hard I'm sure there could be some kind of record awarded for it. But every time you interfere, things turn out better."

Sora blinks at the mage.

"Let's start with that first instance: Alice," Telary says, rising a few feet higher and smiling broadly. "If it weren't for you, she would have gotten her head chopped off for something the Heartless did. Sure we kinda fumbled the all-encompassing rescue, but the Cheshire Cat sure talked about her like she was still alive, so we'll get our second chance.

"You entered the Olympus Coliseum Games despite having no actual business doing it, and in the process you saved the life of Hercules, or Cloud, or heck, both! In the jungle you stopped Clayton from poaching gorillas. And, I think it goes without saying that without you sealing the Keyholes, everywhere we visited would be gone now because of the Heartless!"

Telary floats down next to the Keybearer and places a brotherly arm around his shoulders. "So yeah, you've meddled. And Azlyn and I have been enabling it. But in the end, Sora, you're doing good things for hundreds, maybe thousands of people. That's what being the Keyblade wielder is about, I think."

Sora smiles at the older boy, gratified to have his support. Still, there's something bothering him.

"But what if the things I do now lead to worse things later?" he asks.

Azlyn fields this one. "Sora, please. When has considering the long term consequences of our actions been something _any _of us has been concerned with?"

All three have a very good, very long chuckle about that.

**KH-KH-KH**

In another grotto far away, an undersea garden decorated with all manner of coral and seaweed swaying in the current, lit by the bright sun streaming through clear water, Ariel cries against a rock not unsimilar to the one in the center of her private retreat.

How could her father have done what he did to her? After years and years of being overprotective, keeping her from doing anything that felt meaningful with her life, the first time she'd had a chance to help someone do something, he had ruined it!

Why oh why couldn't he just understand?

"Poor child," a low, sibilant voice cuts through her sobs, sending her head shooting up to see two eels floating above her, looking down with mismatched eyes. "You've suffered so, haven't you?"

Ariel backs up, swallowing a bit heavier than usual. Who _are_ these creatures?

"Yes, she has," the other replies, his voice more gravelly than his partner. "Such a shame. Oh, Flotsam, there must be something we can do to help."

The smooth-voiced eel scratches his chin with the end of his tail, looking thoughtful. "There might be, I think. Yes, we can call _her_."

Ariel backs up even more, only realizing that she has nowhere left to go when she finds herself bumping into the natural blue stone wall of the garden.

"Who are you talking about?" the princess asks, even as the eels rise and begin to circle each other. "Who would…?"

In a puff of inky black darkness, the eels disappear, leaving only an oily cloud behind. From the cloud emerges perhaps the largest woman Ariel has ever seen. The pale purple skin of her arms contrasts with the blackness of her torso, leading down into eight writhing tentacles. Her round purple face holds a huge, toothy smile, though the teeth revealed are stained yellow. White hair floats above her head like an undulating tower.

"Well hello there, my child," the woman greets, sounding more like a visiting aunt than a monster woman who has just emerged from a puff of pure shadow. "I've heard of your predicament and came immediately to help. After all, I just can't stand a poor, unfortunate…"

"Who are you?" Ariel asks nervously, though she has her suspicions, and none of them point to anything good.

"Oh goodness!" the octopus woman laughs heartily, wiping a tear from her eye. "How could I forget to introduce myself? My manners are usually better refined than this, sweetie, believe me!" She swims closer to the princess and gives a bow, which is a motion that does not do flattering things to her body. "My name is Ursula, dear. I am…"

"Sea witch!" Ariel exclaims, shooting past Ursula. She turns and jabs an accusatory finger at the purple-skinned woman. "My father had you banished from the palace! He said that you were eating fish and merpeople!"

Ursula recoils from the redhead, looking offended at the insinuation. "Is that so, chickie poo?" she spits back with her hands planted defiantly on her hips. "Is that really the story they're going with? Ha! Saying such things about me, can you imagine? It's offensive, is what it is!"

Ariel cocks her head curiously. "You mean, that's not true?" Any other day, Ariel wouldn't even begin to entertain thoughts of her father lying to her about anything. But after what has happened in the past few hours…

"Not a word!" Ursula swears, though the princess fails to notice that two of her tentacles are crossed. "It was all just a misunderstanding, really, nothing more! Your father and I saw differently about certain things and, well, you know how he can be when you don't follow every one of his orders to the letter."

Ariel can definitely agree with Ursula on that point. Still…

"What are you doing here?"

The witch smiles.

"Why, I'm here to help you!" The woman floats closer to Ariel, and this time the mermaid doesn't back away, letting the octopus lady squeeze her arm affectionately. "I know all about your wish to see other worlds, my dear, and I'm here to tell you that it is in fact possible!"

"You mean it?" Ariel exclaims. Could her dreams really be so close to becoming reality?

"I shan't be difficult at all, my sweet," Ursula assures her with a broad smile that unfortunately nets the princess another sight of those teeth. "After all, your new friends came from another world."

Ariel nods, realizing that she should have spotted _that_ fact from a mile away. Current differences or not, their swimming technique had been almost embarrassing!

"They had a bit of help though, I'm afraid. That Keyblade," Ursula codifies, sinking Ariel's hopes a little. The sea witch moves close enough to whisper in the mermaid's ear. "But you've got something special too, I think. All I'll need is access to a powerful enough artifact, and I can have you on your way in no time!"

"Artifact? I don't know what you're talking about…"

Ursula's smile widens even more, revealing something lodged between her back teeth that Ariel can swear she sees… wriggling. "Oh. I think you do, my dear. I think you do…"

**KH-KH-KH**

Having decided to officially screw everything Triton told them, Sora leads the trio out of Ariel's grotto, ready to begin the search for the Keyhole anew.

They're interrupted by the sound of heavy crying from somewhere below.

It turns out to be Sebastian, sitting on a rock and balling his eyes out while Flounder floats beside him looking lost.

"What's wrong with you?" Azlyn asks callously.

"It's all my fault!" the crab exclaims, burying his red face in his claws. "I told da sea king about Ariel's grotto, and yer going to da shipwreck! It ain't fair, mon, it ain't! I don't wanna be no snitch, all I wanna do is write beautiful music."

"Aww, it's alright, Sebastian," Sora says sympathetically, allowing the composer to climb onto his open palm. "You had your orders, I understand. Anyone would have done the same."

"Azlyn wouldn't have," Telary points out with an amused look at his counterpart.

"Hey, Flounder," Sora says, turning to the yellow fish, "do you know where Ariel went? With the Heartless around, it probably isn't safe for her to be off alone."

The fish shrugs. "Without her grotto to go to, I'm not sure where she might have gone to be alone."

Sora frowns, but a thought comes to mind. It isn't one he particularly likes, but… "We should ask her dad to help look for her."

Azlyn looks absolutely scandalized. "After what that jerk did to us, you wanna go see him? C'mon, Sora, I know looking for the best in others and crap is, like, your _thing_, but…"

"He's right," Telary agrees with the Keybearer. "Regardless of how he feels about us, the king loves his daughter, and I'm sure he wouldn't want anything bad to happen to her."

"If he even lets us inside that palace," Azlyn mutters in dissatisfaction. "I bet we won't even get inside."

**KH-KH-KH**

It's a simple matter for Ariel to lead Ursula inside the palace using her secret exit. So much so that Ursula even internally chides herself a bit for never thinking of finding a secret passage in the first place.

"Are you sure that you can use Daddy's trident to take me another world?" Ariel asks nervously, looking around the halls to make sure no one can see her and her 'guest'.

"With no problem at all, deary," the sea witch promises once again as the princess plays right into her hands, leading her straight to the throne room.

Ursula hangs back while Ariel enters to see her father reclining in his seat, the trident floating behind his throne.

"Ariel!" the sea king perks immediately upon seeing his daughter, swimming to her and enveloping her in a hug. "Oh, Ariel I was so worried." He holds her out to arm's length, pure sadness in his eyes. "I behaved rashly, Ariel, I know that now. But you've got to understand, everything I do is for you, and the protection of my kingdom."

Ariel looks away, not wanting to see Ursula grab the trident from its resting place. Triton takes the gesture as further rejection, and his face falls.

"Oh, my dear Ariel," the sea king sighs, stroking his little girl's red hair. "I just love you so…"

There's a noise like crackling electricity, and a bright yellow flash suddenly erupts across the sea king's back. He cries out in pain and sinks like a stone. Ariel watches the hurting, betrayed look in his eyes as he floats to the floor below.

"Finally!" Ursula roars in triumph, raising the trident above her head. "Oh I have waited years for this moment! The trident in my hand, and the dear king Triton laying at my tentacles!"

"No Ursula!" Ariel cries as she swims down to check on her father. He's still breathing, but its shallow and his eyes are rheumy and unfocused. Ursula floats over to hover above the pair. "This isn't what we agreed on! I didn't want this!"

Ursula gives the princess a look of mock sympathy. "Of course not, child. I believe you said you wanted to go to other worlds, didn't you?" She smiles. "Well I assure you, I'm not one to renege of my promises. You'll see another world alright my dear. As soon as I find that Keyhole, everyone in Atlantica will get themselves an all-expenses paid trip to the dark world of the Heartless!"

"Mistress!" Flotsam calls, he and his partner slithering into the throne room with worried looks on both their faces. "Jetsam and I searched everywhere. The Keyhole is not in the palace!"

"What!" the witch roars, snorting bubbles in her anger. After a moment though, she calms herself, looking down at the helpless sea king and his daughter. "Well, no matter. It's got to be somewhere, and I'll have plenty of time for searching after I take my revenge."

The trident crackles to life once again as Ursula raises it once more. With a gleeful cry she thrusts downward, sending a beam of energy at the prostrate royal family.

The beam makes about half of its journey before another, thinner beam of pure white light flies to intercept it. There's a loud _pop_ noise before both beams fade in a miniature explosion, raining nothing more than harmless sparks down on Ariel and her father.

"I don't think so, lady!" Sora yells defiantly, arriving in the throne room with Azlyn, Telary, Sebastian, and Flounder in tow.

"Ursula da sea witch!" Sebastian exclaims, darting to cower behind Azlyn. "She be bad news mon. Ate me brodder she did!"

Ursula smiles at the group. "Yes, I did always enjoy my crustaceans."

"Give the trident back right now, or I'm going to have to deal with you the hard way!" Sora threatens, gripping the Keyblade tightly in both hands.

The sea witch just gives a sardonic grin, summoning a cloud of ink to hide her escape. "I think not, handsome."

And just like that, she and both her minions are gone.

The entire party moves down to help Ariel, and together she and Telary manage to get Triton back to his throne. The sea king slumps back into the seat, still looking dazed.

"Oh, this is all my fault!" Ariel laments, clutching desperately at her father's arm. "I just wanted to see other worlds, daddy! I didn't know that this would happen."

"You caused this?" Azlyn says incredulously, receiving an admonishing thump on the arm from Sora.

"I _did _cause this," the princess admits, letting go of her father and floating away with her head bowed.

Triton groans and Sebastian immediately moves to hover over the fallen king. "Oh, Your Majesty…"

"Ursula," he chokes out weakly, turning to look at Sora with clouded eyes. "Her lair is in a tunnel near the shipwreck. I sealed it off years ago. You'll find her there."

"And we'll take her down too!" Azlyn declares resolutely.

"But she has the trident," Telary points out, shaking a bit at the thought of facing that much magical power. "How are we supposed to deal with that?"

"Ursula has never wielded the trident before," Triton says, coughing a bit. "To control its power, she'll have to tie it into the magic of her cauldron. If-if you strike the cauldron with magic, you can disrupt it. You can defeat her!"

Sora nods determinately. "Let's go get her!"

The trio take off for their confrontation, but find themselves stopped by Ariel, who moves to intercept, floating in front of them with a steely look on her face.

"I'm coming with you," she declares, clearly brooking no room for disagreement. "I made this mess and I have to help clean it up."

Sora looks to both of his companions, who nod in agreement. Turning back to Ariel, he gives her an accepting smile.

The passage to Ursula's hideout is easy to find, and a long tunnel of purple rock leads the group to the bones and leftover skin of some long dead leviathan. They enter through the creature's mouth.

"Yikes!" Telary exclaims, rearing up and floating as high as possible, looking down at the wretched, shriveled creatures that line the "floor". "What are those?"

One of them raises its head and Ariel gets a look at its eyes, big, blue, and full of pleading and sorrow. "They're merfolk," she says, unsure how she can just instinctively know. "They must have made deals with Ursula and…"

"The poor dears just couldn't make payment," the mocking voice of Ursula finishes, coming from deeper down in the lair. Cautiously, the group follows the sea witch's voice into a large round chamber.

To one side rests a large vanity, beauty products stacked high. In the center lies an enormous cauldron, its diameter roughly the size of Telary. It glows with an eerie, mysterious light.

"You're going to pay for what you've done, Ursula!" Ariel declares defiantly.

The octopus woman sneers at the party. "I'd like to see you try, dearie. Flotsam! Jetsam! Attack, my babies!"

The eels emerge from behind the group, slamming into Azlyn and Telary. The pair recover quickly though, each grabbing an eel by the squirming tail.

They manage to wriggle free however, rearing back for another attack. But before they can strike, Telary concentrates hard enough to call down a vicious thunder spell, shocking the pair so hard they fall into immediate unconsciousness.

"Sorry Ursula," Sora mocks the witch, who looks ready to blow a gasket. "It looks like your 'babies' aren't gonna be any help to you at all!"

Ursula grips the trident's shaft hard enough to turn her knuckles white, scowling at the merfolk surrounding her. Inky black darkness rises from her tentacles like an angry cloud. She's growing larger by the millisecond.

Noticing the change, the party retreats to the far walls of the chamber, then out into the open ocean as Ursula rips through the walls of dead leviathan skin and sends the bones drifting into the abyss. Soon all that remains is the platform on which her cauldron rests.

"Now _I _rule the seas!" the gargantuan Ursula booms, the equally large trident glowing golden in her hand. She flicks her wrist and lightning bolts rain down from nowhere, threatening to strike the resisting heroes.

"Sora!" Ariel calls out, deftly maneuvering past a thin stream of electricity. "Remember what Daddy said, we have to get to the cauldron!"

All four charge for the platform, barely ducking and weaving past a flurry of lightning bolts. It's a treacherous few seconds, but eventually the group reaches the platform, and Sora raises the Keyblade to fire off a spell.

He doesn't get time though, as a strong current pulls him and the rest of his companions upward. Twisting, Sora manages to get a glimpse of their destination: Ursula's enormous mouth, ready to bite down and turn them all into hors d'oeurves.

Telary strains against the pull for as long as he can, reaching out with both hands and trying to gather enough concentration for a spell.

"AAAAAAAAAAA!" He screams in pure anguish and frustration. "FIIIIIIRE!"

Twin balls of flame careen through the air in a twisting dance, reaching the murky depths of the cauldron. As they impact, there's a huge burst of light.

Ursula screams, her concentration breaking and ending the current pulling the group towards her mouth.

Sora and Ariel swim back for the cauldron, but Azlyn goes the opposite way, her strong tail thrusting her through the water with blistering speed.

"I am sick and tired," she declares, rearing back her fist to strike, "of things trying to eat me! Nobody takes a bite outta _me_, ya hear! NOBODY!"

She connects with the giant witch's chin like a rocket, the trident thief's head snapping back like a rubber band.

Ariel, Telary, and Sora reach the cauldron, all three laying hands on its rim and pushing, each grunting loudly with the effort of moving the thing. Sora suspects it weighs at least a ton.

"No!" Ursula cries, though the sound is garbled by another flurry of blows from Azlyn's fists crashing into her face.

The cauldron begins to tip, the liquid inside it sloshing around until, with one last push, the group manages to overturn it.

The glittering liquid inside floods the chambers of the leviathan with pure magical power. Each time the wave hits one of Ursula's shriveled prisoners the witch's nasty spell disintegrates, restoring them all to their normal merfolk forms.

As for Ursula herself, with the power in the cauldron diminished, she can no longer control her size and begins to shrink back to normal, screaming bloody murder all the while.

After a minute she's back to regular size, and she looks angry.

"You fools!" she yells, raising the trident once more and giving it another glow. It's obviously hard on her though, without the linked power of her cauldron. "I still have the trident, and the Heartless, and more than enough power to…"

Azlyn's grey tail flies up to strike the witch in the face. She cries out and stumbles back, losing her grip on the trident, the glow dying instantly

"Hey Ariel!" Azlyn calls to the mermaid princess, snatching up the trident and rearing back for a toss. "I think this is yours!"

Ariel easily catches the trident and points it at Ursula, the artifact already lighting up with golden power.

"No, please!" the sea witch pleads, down on all eight tentacles with her head bowed. "I can still, I can still take you to other worlds! I can still…"

"Sorry, Ursula," Ariel quips, a proud grin spreading across her lips. "But I'm afraid that I agree with my father. You're better off _banished_!"

A gold beam flies from the trident and slams directly into Ursula, igniting a bright explosion of light. When it fades, the sea witch is gone, never to bother anyone ever again.

Azlyn smiles and shakes her head at the redheaded mermaid princess. "Hardcore, Ariel. You are hardcore."

* * *

**I know this took a long time to update but, y'know what guys? Atlantica sucks! Special thanks to The Last Artisan, whose review actually helped me muster up the resolve to finish this thing. That's the power of positive feedback people!**


	24. Family Tides

King Triton already looks much better by the time the group returns to the palace, Ariel carrying the trident like she was born to hold it. Perhaps she was.

The sea king, against the advice of Sebastian, exits his throne and floats over to envelope his daughter in a hug. Ariel's other six sisters float behind the throne, their expressions ranging from relieved to perturbed. Obviously some of them take the betrayal of their father more lightly than others.

And there's one that just stares at Telary and giggles intermittently.

"I'm sorry daddy," Ariel apologizes as she pulls back, frowning up at her father as she hands him his symbol of authority and power. "I shouldn't have let Ursula trick me like she did."

"I'll say," mutters one sister to the others.

"It's partly my fault, Ariel," Triton admits, looking down at his youngest daughter. "It's only natural you'd try to follow Ursula. After all, I never let you follow your heart."

"You were trying to protect me," Ariel replies with a half-smile.

"That's no excuse. I should have believed in you more. I certainly shouldn't have destroyed that crystal trident."

"What was the big deal about that thing anyway?" Azlyn asks.

"It had the power to reveal the Keyhole," Triton explains, letting go of Ariel and turning to the trio. "I thought the Keyhole was dangerous, that it shouldn't be meddled with. But I know now I was wrong. You must seal the Keyhole, Keybearer. Sora."

"How?" the boy in question asks. "You destroyed the way to reveal it."

The sea king shakes his head, holding out the trident. "It was not the only way. My trident can also reveal the Keyhole where it hides."

"Where does it hide?" Telary asks.

"Why, in Ariel's grotto."

Azlyn snorts dismissively. "Right under our noses. That figures."

"Ariel," the king says, holding the trident out to the redhead, "take my trident and help Sora seal the Keyhole. You've proven yourself more than worthy."

The princess surges forward, planting a huge kiss on her father's cheek before backing up and taking the trident into her hands.

"Thank you so much, Daddy."

"Yes, this is a really big help to us," Sora thanks the sea king as well.

Triton smiles at the boy. "It's what I should have done from the beginning. Now go, Keybearer, and please don't be offended when I tell you I hope I don't see you again any time soon."

**KH-KH-KH**

Ensconced in the serenity of her grotto, Ariel holds up the trident as it begins to glow, eventually drifting out of her hand and floating to the empty indentation, its tines lining up perfectly.

There's a flash, and suddenly a flurry of bubbles begin to fly up from the ground surrounding the resting rock in the chamber's center.

The bubbles catch the light filtering down from the hole above, creating just enough of a reflection to reveal a shimmering keyhole shape.

Sora raises the Keyblade as light gathers at its tip, shooting out in a pure beam directly into the light. There's the usual sound of a sharp _click_, and in an instant the Keyhole disappears, safe forever from the machinations of the Heartless.

"Ta da!" Sora says with a flourish of the Keyblade, feeling the need to give the Keyhole sealing ritual a bit more showmanship due to the large crowd watching.

Flounder just looks at the spot where it was, awestruck, and Sebastian actually needs a minute to sit down after witnessing the spectacle.

"That was amazing, Sora!" Ariel squeals excitedly, shaking the Keybearer's arm enthusiastically. "I still can't believe I actually know someone from another world!"

Sora's grin fades a little as he remembers his "other ocean" lie. Well, Telary's lie technically, but still…

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you the truth right away, Ariel," he apologizes, "but I just couldn't. There are rules to this Keyblade wielder thing."

"That's okay," the mermaid says with a dismissive wave. "I know you were just trying to do your duty." She gives the offworlder trio a huge grin. "Besides, if you can travel to other worlds then, well, maybe someday I can too!"

The mermaid swims upwards, turning in a lazy spiral as she drifts ever closer to the hole at the top of the cave, a pure and uncomplicated wanderlust in her eyes.

"I'll see another world someday, I just know it!"

And maybe, she thinks to herself, it might just be time to explore more of what the surface above Atlantica's ocean has to offer.

"Well, when da time comes fer ya ta travel to anudder world," Sebastian moans, "you can just keep me outta it, y'hear?"

* * *

**I probably should have just left this part on the end of the last chapter, but then I thought of that pun and, well, I thought it was worth it. Plus it's never a bad thing to get a little more hangtime on the front page of the "Kingdom Hearts" section.**


	25. What's In The Heart

After Telary confirms the readings of a town nearby, the trio lands their ship in a clearing in a bare forest, full of gnarled and dead trees just barely getting by above ground. The moon is already up and shining bright yellow light all around, bringing a kind of gloomy ambience to the place.

Assuring Jiminy that they'll be careful and return as soon as they can manage, Sora, Azlyn, and Telary disembark from the ship's ramp. A low fog hovers just over to ground, so heavy that in places none of the teens can even see their feet.

"Nice place," Azlyn comments sarcastically, surveying the area with a curled lip. "But, at least I still have legs."

"Do you think we should do something about the Gummi ship?" Sora asks, gesturing at the obnoxiously bright vessel standing out starkly amongst the otherwise dull and nondescript pallet of the forest.

The mage shrugs. "I think I landed far enough away from that town," he says nonchalantly. "And it's all locked up, so people can't do anything but gawk at it really."

Sora's frown doesn't let up. "Sure but it's just so obvious that it could, I don't know…"

Telary places a hand on Sora's shoulder and gives him a sympathetic smile. "Don't worry, Sora, we won't let anyone figure out we're not from this world on this trip, okay? We'll be extra careful."

It's at that point the mage takes a step and trips over a protruding root hidden by the fog underfoot.

They set off for the town, enjoying the quiet stillness of the night, until Azlyn calls for a halt, her ears perking up as she looks around.

"What is that?" she asks, hearing some noise in the near distance. It sounds like voices, and a lot of them.

"It's singing," Sora points out as the words become clearer and stronger, obviously being sung by many voices, some more melodious than others.

_This is Halloween  
This is Halloween!_

Suddenly Sora catches sight of a long line of people in various shapes and sizes. And various they are.

A trio of pale-skinned men dressed in formalwear with long black capes glide above the ground at the head of the line, obviously the most well put together and practiced singers in the group. Behind them stumbles a green, oozing monster that looks like it has just emerged from a swamp, sticky wet weeds clinging to its body, then a large brown-furred werewolf dressed only in cut off shorts.

_This is Halloween  
This is Halloween!_

A pair of hunched over women dressed all in black zoom by on broomsticks, their black hats denoting their status as witches. They zoom past the trio and turn a few corkscrews before joining the rest of the monster mash line.

The line continues, singing their merry song about a land where Halloween never ends.

"What is that all about?" Azlyn asks, sounding awed by the variety of creatures at the same time as she's annoyed by their cheery singing.

"Didn't you hear?" Sora replies joyously, already heading off after the procession. "Halloween!"

"Can you believe this?" Azlyn groans to her companion, only to find him staring after the parade, his face a rictus of fear and worry. "C'mon, Tel, please don't tell me you're afraid of a bunch of singing freakshow performers."

The mage shakes his head to clear it, which puts it in perfect rhythm with the rest of his shaking body. "Of c-c-course not," he stammers unconvincingly. "I mean, sure they look spooky, but I'm sure they're just, y'know, regular folks. N-nothing to get freaked out about…"

_Bark bark!_

Telary doesn't even jump at the sudden noise, so relieved to finally encounter something normal, something as simple as an excited animal.

Until, that is, he turns and comes face to face with a floating bedsheet about the size of a standard Yorkshire terrier. The "sheet" pulls up into a long snouted face with two large eyes poking over it, a nose the shape of a tiny jack o'lantern flickering with orange light. Noticing that it has the mage's attention, the ghostly dog yips once more and moves closer.

Telary flees.

"Telary!" Azlyn calls after him, exasperated. She sighs, realizing that her counterpart is too far gone in fear to hear her. "I swear, that boy is afraid of his own shadow."

Not a moment later, the ghostly dog catches sight of the knight and lets out a low growl, eyes narrowing at the perceived enemy.

Slowly, Azlyn turns to face the undead canine, catching a glimpse of its absolutely murderous countenance. It reminds her of the look Pluto gets in his eyes whenever she arrives in a room.

"Crap!" she exclaims, running off after her companions at top speed.

When she finally catches up to the boys, they're standing on the outskirts of a bustling town square, surrounded by houses and other buildings of all sizes. They all seem to have hired the same designer, dull colors washing out the square and making a clear contrast between the rest of it and the toxic green liquid of the square's central fountain, a terrifying statue of a bat-like creature placed in its exact middle. Off to the side, a ten-foot guillotine hovers over the square.

The creeps and creatures are all still singing of the joys of Halloween, of spooking and scaring and all manner of fear. And yet the spirit is not one of maliciousness, but rather something akin to celebration.

_It's our job but we're not mean  
In our town of Halloween!_

"This is amazing," Sora whispers to his friends, so enraptured by the performance of the townspeople that he doesn't even notice Telary's fear, or Azlyn's annoyance.

Azlyn shrugs. "It's okay," she admits, noting a few twirling dancers, skeletons all. "The choreography could use some work. Dances are supposed to be interpretive, and it seems like all these guys know how to do is sway along. Nothing visually interesting at all."

Sora raises a surprised eyebrow at the girl. "Huh? Azlyn, how do you know so much about dance?"

Telary suddenly perks up, grinning at his counterpart.

Azlyn's expression makes an opposite transformation, hardening into a frown, forehead furrowed. "None of your business."

Sora shrugs, happy to let this new aspect of his friend remain a mystery until such a time as he has a greater opportunity to weasel it out of her. Contented, he closes his eyes and sways gently in time with the singers.

Until the Heartless arrive.

A loud series of familiar sounds suddenly pop off in the middle of the square, and in an instant six Search Ghost Heartless have appeared, their clawed hands swaying along with the music.

"Sora!" Telary cries out, jolting the Keybearer out of his reverie. "Heartless!"

In an instant, Sora's pleasure turns to righteous anger. How dare these creatures of Darkness interrupt such a joyous celebration! Is nothing sacred?

In a flash the Keyblade appears, and with a defiant battle cry Sora leaps down into the fray, catching two Search Ghosts with a single swing.

Azlyn moves in next, planting both feet in a Heartless's chest and knocking it over into the oozy green liquid of the fountain, which unfortunately splashes right back up into her face.

Telary calls down a thunder spell to fry another pair, while Sora finishes off the last creature on his side of the fountain. The threat is vanquished, and the revelers in the square are safe from the Darkness.

Which is why it's odd when a loud booing arises from the crowd, and not the spooky variety either. The pissed kind.

Confused, the Keybearer turns to face a legion of seriously upset monster people. It's an image that could haunt him the rest of his life.

"What's the big idea?" a grotesquely obese zombie woman with mottled grey skin cries out, comforting a similarly round child crying into her patchwork dress.

"You ruined everything!" the slimy swamp creature growls.

The trio all look at each other in utter bewilderment. They'd just saved these people from a terrible fate! Shouldn't some thanks be in order?

"What the hell are you on about?" Azlyn growls back, stepping up with fists clenched. "We just saved you all from…"

"A perfect rehearsal!" one of the trio of vampire singers interrupts, grabbing a rotten tomato from the folds of his cloak and hurling it at the knight, who manages the block it with her shield.

From there the crowd does as crowds are wont to do, hurling all manner of things at the trio; everything from half-rotted pumpkins to still blinking eyeballs.

Telary and Sora cower behind Azlyn's shield, doing their best to avoid being pelted.

"Not exactly the reception I expected," Telary sighs, catching an egg in the forehead. Part of the yellow yolk oozes down his face.

"_STOP!"_

The voice seems to come from all around the square at once, loud and clear and quite perturbed. The townsfolk stop their barrage immediately, as if hypnotized.

In the silence left behind, the fountain behind the trio begins to bubble and churn, sending more tiny droplets of green ooze out of the fountain. All three turn to face the square's central feature.

Suddenly, a white skull emerges from the ooze, its empty eye sockets managing to look soulful and concerned. It's followed up by a tall, thin body clad in a black and white pinstripe suit. From the cuffs of the suit's sleeves emerge two bony, four fingered hands, crossed over each other just under a bowtie in the shape of a vampire bat.

Sora waits with bated breath as the skeleton man finishes his rise, uncrossing his arms from his chest and placing them on his almost nonexistent hips.

"What is the meaning of this?" he demands, sounding more exasperated than angry. "I thought we were having a great rehearsal, fellows. So, what happened?"

"Jack! Jack!" A tiny, squat man with a face as white as a sheet, dressed in an ill-fitting suit and wearing a long thin top hat atop his head, rushes out in a panic. Words across the white slash on his chest declare him "MAYOR". "Things were going amazingly well, at least I think so if you think they were, until the new ghosts made their entrance and these strange people just went berserk, attacking them and ruining everything!"

"Ruined!" Azlyn exclaims, as if this is the most implausible thing she's ever heard.

"The Heartless were attacking!" Sora attempts to explain.

"Heartless, you say?" the bony man in the fountain, Jack apparently, says, sounding intrigued. One hand scratches his chin bone. "Fascinating! Finally a name to go along with the faces! And such a wonderfully scary one too! I can just see the banners now: Jack Skellington, Pumpkin King, presents 'A Heartless Halloween'! Oh, it'll be my best ever!"

"But the Heartless are dangerous!" Sora protests firmly, getting more worked up than usual in response to Mr. Skellington's thick-headedness.

The Pumpkin King scoffs. "Nonsense. The only danger these Heartless pose is not being able to dance spookily enough by Halloween!"

Azlyn has had about as much of this as she can take. "Oh, would you just _forget _about _Halloween?"_

Every single creature, big and small, lets out their most horrified gasp at the sound of the knight's harsh words, some actually recoiling in disgust. The mayor goes so far as to faint dead away, overwhelmed by the sheer horror of it all.

"That might not have been the best move," Telary whispers to his counterpart out of the corner of his mouth.

Jack Skellington steps out of the fountain and onto the grey cobbles of the square, shaking his head sadly. "I think you'll find, my dear, that you'll be hard pressed to get anyone to forget about Halloween in…

**Halloween Town!"**

The skeleton's words echo around the square. He takes a step back and fingers his chin once more, looking over the trio appraisingly.

"You know what I think might help you three really get into the spirit of Halloween?" he says, with an air of someone making a monumental discovery. "Your own Halloween costumes! And I know just the man to make them for you! Come along, to Dr. Finkelstein's!"

A bony finger points up at a large metal orb looming over the square, sitting atop a large grey tower. A sudden bolt of lightning flashes down from the otherwise clear sky.

"Sure!" Sora exclaims, excited about the prospect of looking just as spooky as the rest of Halloween Town's denizens. Telary looks nervous, and Azlyn rolls her eyes.

"Fear not, good citizens!" Jack calls out to the townsfolk, who still for the most part do _not _look happy. "I realize this rehearsal's disruption puts us a bit behind schedule, but I assure you that the problem is being handled. In the meantime, perhaps it would be best for you all to return to your homes and practice your individual parts. We'll reconvene as soon as possible, I promise."

Still looking annoyed, the townsfolk filter out of the square, some heading straight into one of the houses that ring the area, and other moving off to their domiciles in other areas of town. Most are muttering to themselves or others about the inconvenience these interlopers have caused.

"Masterfully handled, Jack, simply wonderful!" the mayor gushes, rushing up to the group now wearing an orange face with a bright smile. "No one breaks up a potential mob action like Jack Skellington, I always say!"

"It was nothing, Mayor," Jack replies with a modest wave of his bony hand.

"Well, I suppose I should go see to the decorations committee," the elected official says, scampering off and revealing that his upset face still stares out from the back of his head, frozen. "They'll have to meet with _your _approval first, of course, but…"

Jack gestures broadly for the offworlder trio to follow him, heading for a gate in the western part of the square.

"Worse than Wonderland," Azlyn mutters under her breath, careful to make sure their guide can't hear. "At least there nobody pelted me with rotten food."

"And there weren't any monsters," Telary agrees, sounding more miserable than angry.

"C'mon, guys, relax," Sora encourages, fixing his friends with one of his widest, brightest smiles. "You saw how much fun those guys were! When they weren't, y'know, throwing stuff at us. Besides, you heard the skeleton guy, we're gonna get costumes. I'm sure when we do, we'll be just as scary as any of those guys!"

Jack throws open the metal door into the lab with great aplomb, waving his arm grandly. The actual lab, Sora finds as he steps inside, isn't quite worthy of the majestic introduction. It's little more than a large ovular chamber surrounded by metal walls. A bookcase stands against one wall, and directly opposite is a large granite slab. A seemingly dormant Search Ghost lays on it, attached by wires to two large orbs above either side of the slab, metallic points sticking out of them.

And, sitting in a wheelchair at a large oak desk topped by various test tubes, beakers, and one very large book, is a man with an enormously bulbous head covered in wrinkly grey skin. Sora swears he can see a hinge welded into the back of the cranium. Dr. Finkelstein, he presumes.

"Ah, there you are Jack," the man says in a thin, scratchy voice. With one black gloved hand he fiddles with a joystick set into the right arm of his chair, spinning himself around to face the group. His mouth protrudes out like an anteater's snout, and black goggles cover his eyes. He's wearing a grey, buttoned up lab coat and white pants. There are definitely nuts or bolts of some kind in the front of his head. He smiles, a grotesque sight across his misshapen mouth. "So, how did it go, hm? Did my guidance system work as promised?"

Jack frowns and gives a deep sigh. Taking his answer from that, the doctor makes a scoffing noise and slams his fist down on the arm of his chair.

"Confounded things!" he rages, the frown he's wearing even scarier than the earlier smile. "No matter what I try they all just… Aargh!"

"Dr. Finkelstein, before we talk about the creatures, which you'll be happy to know I've learned are called _Heartless_…"

Finkelstein gives an approving nod and grin.

"I'd like to introduce you to our newest Halloween Town visitors!" The Pumpkin King steps aside and waves a thumb at the trio. "These are, um… Excuse me, fellows, but what were your names again?"

"I'm Sora," Sora answers, stepping up and nodding. "And these are my friends Azlyn and Telary. We're, um, visiting town for, uh, a vacation. Yeah."

"Anyway," Jack continues, "as you can see, their… unique sense of fashion seems to be causing them a bit of disconnect with the spirit of the Halloween festival. I thought if perhaps they had more, er, traditional dress, it might help them integrate."

The doctor nods. "So it's costumes they want, eh? Yes, I can see how their odd clothes might attract unwanted attention from townsfolk." Maneuvering the joystick, Finkelstein heads over to the bookcase. Reaching up he grabs a yellow volume and pulls it out, releasing a mechanism that cause the bookcase to slide against the wall, revealing three small, circular chambers. "Climb in, young ones. I've not got all day, you know."

"These are gonna give us our costumes?" Sora asks excitedly. The doctor gives an affirming nod, and the Keybearer rushes into his chamber with a huge smile across his face. Once he's inside, black doors slam shut, trapping him.

Azlyn rolls her eyes and marches to the next chamber with grim exasperation. Telary doesn't want to be left out, so he reluctantly marches himself into the remaining "pod".

For a few long seconds mechanisms inside the chambers whir and click, then the doors open once again, releasing three large steam clouds into the lab. The trio step out more or less simultaneously.

Telary looks over his new form with trepidation. He sees bandages all over his body, ugly stained things that nearly make him hurl. He's unsure of how exactly he would do that, however, considering a large part of his stomach is left unwrapped, revealing a hole. Closing his eyes, he waves his hand around inside for a second.

Azlyn idly notes that a few tufts of red hair stick out of the bandages wrapped around Telary's head, then looks down to inspect herself. She's wearing a white, double-breasted lab coat near identical to that of Dr. Finkelstein, and her skirt has become wiry black material. Grey and black striped socks lead down into black boots. Something else feels odd, as well. She catches a glimpse of herself in a mirror, and notes that her usual blonde pixie cut has been replaced by large black column of hair with a white stripe running down the side.

Sora moves to the mirror next, inspecting his black jacket over a dark grey shirt. His shorts are an exact match color wise to the jacket, and extend just as far down his legs as his normal bottoms. The most notable feature on the Keybearer's face is a large orange jack o'lantern mask covering his right eye, though doing nothing to impede his vision. Opening his mouth, Sora inspects with clawed, white gloved hands and finds sharp fangs in place of his canines. He smiles widely, impressed with the transformation. Impressed with all three transformations, actually.

"Oh my, don't you three look splendid!" Jack gushes, dancing around the trio with a proud grin across his skull. "You've done wonderful work, doctor, simply amazing!"

"Yes, sir, I completely agree with Mr. Skellington," Telary chimes in, still inspecting himself, his look of fearful apprehension not gone, but minimized. "You have some wonderful technology here." The other two offworlders nod along.

"Now if only I could be as successful with the Heartless!" Finkelstein rages, wheeling up to the slab. So far, the Heartless on it hasn't moved, or given any sign at all that it is aware of what is happening around it. "I thought the guidance system I cooked up would do the trick, but Jack here insists…"

"They move perfectly in time with my devised choreography," Jack explains, frowning. "But there's something about them that just doesn't feel right. Like there could be _more_."

"Maybe the Heartless just aren't putting their _hearts _into their dancing!" Azlyn jokes, igniting a fit of giggles in her friends.

"Eureka!" Jack exclaims, leaping upon the slab and gesturing grandly. "That's it exactly! The Heartless need a heart!"

"Huh?" Azlyn gasps, her laughter interrupted by bewilderment.

"A heart for the Heartless…" Sora says, looking pensive but intrigued.

"Might it be possible to add a heart to your guidance system device, Doctor?" Jack asks the wheelchair bound madman.

He shrugs. "I don't see why not," he replies, wheeling back to the bookcase. He pulls a green book out of the shelf this time, and the case moves once more, revealing a long storage space filled with various machines and ingredients. "A heart is a simple thing, really. I could have it ready in five minutes!" He stops and reaches down, grabbing a container from a low shelf. Its shape reminds Sora of discussions of biological hearts in school. He also notes the large keyhole in its middle.

Dr. Finkelstein grabs a few other chests and brings them out to pile on the end of the slab. He frowns at the container.

"It's locked!" he declares frustratedly. "It's been ages since I got this thing, I'll never find the key before Halloween!" Behind the doctor, Jack hangs his head sadly.

Sora, however, smiles.

Azlyn gives him a withering glare. "Oh no, I know that look!" She blocks his path to Jack and the doctor, hands on hips. "There is no way you can go along with this crazy scheme! I'm putting my foot down!" Telary tentatively moves to stand by her.

"Look, Azlyn," Sora says, deploying the puppy eyes he's famous for around Destiny Islands, "if this experiment works, it could mean the end of the Heartless forever! I mean, if all the Heartless have hearts, why would they want to go around stealing them from other people?"

Telary thinks about that and moves around to stand at Sora's side, shrugging off the stink eye it earns him from Azlyn. "Sora could be right, Azlyn."

The knight returns her disapproving gaze to the Keyblade wielder. "You just want to see them dance, don't you?"

Sora gives her a sheepish grin, which is harder than it seems to pull off with pointed fangs in your mouth. "Well, I guess so. Don't pretend you don't, though!"

Azlyn shakes her head violently. "What I'd _like _to see is all of them eliminated from the universe!" Sora tries the eyes again, and this time she can't help but get drawn in. She sighs as deeply as she ever has. "Okay, okay."

Sora jumps a bit in happiness, his quivering lip turning into a grin instantaneously. He moves past her and towards the slab. Azlyn watches him go with a frown.

"Look Az," Telary says, stepping up next to his best friend and watching Jack do a backflip as Sora promises his assistance, "I realize this is risky too, but the potential benefits are… well, massive!"

She shrugs. "Well I'll tell you right now, I reserve the right to say 'I told you so' as many times as I want if this goes badly, okay?"

Telary smiles and gives her an affirmative nod.

At the slab, Sora raises the Keyblade to point at the container's keyhole, and at his command a beam of light shoots into it and unlocks it with a click.

"Splendid!" Jack declares, flipping the top of the heart container open. "You certainly are handy to have around, Sora my boy! How would you like to be in this year's festival?"

Sora's eyes light up. "Oh my gosh, I'd _love _to!" Azlyn huffs and rolls her eyes, but he ignores her.

"And now for ingredients!" Dr. Finkelstein says, opening the first chest and drawing out a green frog, it belly swollen with air and pulsing rhythmically. "Pulse!" He reaches in again and produces a large black spider, which nearly sends Telary running out of the lab. "Fear!" He drops the spider and frog into the heart, then goes back for a third ingredient: two snakes, one green and one orange, eating each other's tail. "Hope and Despair!" The snakes go into the container, and Finkelstein closes it.

"That's it?" Telary says, looking skeptically at the new "heart". "Can you really make something so complex out of so few things?"

The doctor scoffs, shaking his head like it's the most ridiculous thing he's heard. "Complex? A heart? Come now, dear boy, surely you can't think a thing such as that to be anything intricate. No, no, a heart is a simple thing, as we'll soon see."

Sora frowns. That doesn't seem right to him, the thought of a heart as something "simple". Then again, he's certainly no doctor, so what does he know, really?

Jack helps Finkelstein finish setting up, attaching two thick wires to the heart container with large clamps, then placing electrodes against the prone Heartless's chest. The doctor positions himself by a huge switch up against the wall.

"Goggles everyone!" the wheelchair bound scientist commands, gesturing to several pairs atop his research table. The trio all put them on, then look up at Jack, who makes no move towards the safety equipment.

"No eyeballs," he explains casually, gesturing to his empty sockets. The trio all nod understandingly.

"Here we go!" Doctor Finkelstein shouts, and with a bone-chilling laugh appropriate for someone in his line of work, throws down the switch.

Immediately volts of electricity begin traveling along the wire from heart to Heartless, sending the Search Ghost into wild convulsions. After a few seconds, it begins to rise, back straight and arms sticking out. It even turns its head, its dangling eye swaying as it moves. It looks directly at Sora.

Satisfied, Finkelstein flips the switch again, and the current dies instantly. As does the Heartless, which flops back down to the slab, motionless.

"NOOOOOOO!" Finkelstein cries in pure anguish. After a moment, Jack joins him.

Azlyn grunts angrily and covers her ears. "Oh, would you two just relax? Face it, your experiment was a failure, and that things is as dead as…"

In a single fluid motion, the Heartless rises and lunges for the Pumpkin King, clawed hands reaching out to tear out the skeleton's heart.

Jack cries out and stumbles back, but luckily Sora's response to people in danger is near automatic at this point, and the heroic young mean leaps up on the slab and stabs the Keyblade through the Search Ghost's chest. It manages to swivel its head one-eighty degrees to look at its destroyer before fading away.

"Good show!" Jack says as he rises from the floor, straightening his bowtie casually.

"Huh?" Sora asks.

"Excuse me?" Telary says.

Azlyn is too angry for words.

"Well, that may not have been dancing like I hoped," Jack admits, grinning. "But it was certainly _scary_, wasn't it?"

"No brain," Azlyn mutters to herself, shaking her head in abject frustration. "There is _no freaking brain_ in that skull, I swear." She steps up to the skeleton and pokes him in the chest hard enough to send him back a step. "You almost died, moron!"

Jack shrugs. "Well, you can't make an omelet without…"

"Memory!" Finkelstein declares, as if the mere word is some genius idea. He smiles triumphantly.

"Well, I suppose that's true," Jack admits with a shrug. "But I was actually going to say 'breaking eggs', so…"

"No, you fool!" the doctor interrupts. "We need Memory to make the heart work properly. It's the missing ingredient that will pull this whole thing together! I'll bet Sally has some. Now, where is that girl? I go to all the trouble of creating her, and she can't even stick around the lab. Now, hm, the last time I saw her was…"

The doctor takes a moment to think, flipping open the top portion of his head and actually scratching at the pinkish grey matter of his brain! Telary has to look away, but Sora and Azlyn smile at each other like it's the coolest thing they've ever seen.

"Don't worry, Doctor!" Jack assures the old man, closing his head in a friendly manner. "We'll find Sally and your ingredient for you." He turns to look at Sora. "If you wish to come, of course!"

"Sure!" Sora agrees, and Azlyn wonders when it was exactly he became spokesman for the group.

Just then the lab's door slams open, revealing the once-again white-faced Mayor, wringing his hands nervously. His eyes are red from crying.

"Oh, Jack, it's horrible!" he says to the Pumpkin King, hanging his head and blowing into a tissue made of spider webs. "It's… It's just so…"

"What is it Mayor?" Jack asks.

The mayor looks up, wiping his eyes. "The Heartless! All of the sudden they started attacking people, chasing them all about the square trying to hurt them… It's chaos!"

"I told you so," Azlyn whispers cockily to her counterpart.

Everyone else reacts with great concern. Well, almost everyone.

"I needed a new test subject anyway," Dr. Finkelstein says with a nonchalant shrug.

"I'll handle this, Mayor," Jack assures the little two-faced man.

"We'll help," Sora pledges. The quartet race out of the lab for the town square.

When they arrive, the scene is utter chaos. Search Ghosts and Shadows chase the citizens through the streets, and large purple winged Heartless terrorize them from above with blue orbs of dark energy.

"I told you so!" Azlyn repeats to Telary, even as she and Sora leap into the square to protect the denizens of Halloween Town.

Sora slashes through a pair of Shadows menacing a werewolf, while Azlyn slices open the belly of a Search Ghost.

Telary chases after a trio of Search Ghosts harassing the vampire trio, firing off a fire spell that fries them before they can do much damage.

Jack uses his height to his advantage, leaping up and slapping down two flying Gargoyles in quick succession, before rending them asunder with his sharp, bony claws.

Four new Heartless arrive, resembling Telary's bandaged zombie form, swinging their long arms as they advance. Azlyn notices one graze the wing of a tiny bat child, and her instincts take over, hurling her shield hard enough to separate head from shoulders.

Sora and Jack slash through the other three, and Telary uses a gravity spell to crush a few more closing in on a little boy wearing a devil mask. In no time, the square is Heartless free.

"What was that?" asks one witch to the other. "I thought the Heartless were here to dance, not hurt us!"

"Relax, citizens!" Jack calls out, cupping his hands together to amplify his volume. "This is only a temporary glitch in mine and the doctor's experiments, I assure you! Dr. Finkelstein and I are at this very moment preparing an artificial heart that will be used to fully control the Heartless. As soon as we figure out some of the, uh, more technical difficulties, things will return to normal, I promise!"

This seems good enough for the citizenry, who all disperse to go back to their own lives as soon as the Pumpkin King has finished speaking.

Except three little children, huddling by a bathtub with four moving legs.

"Did you hear that?" the tubbiest boy, dressed in blue and wearing a skull mask, says to his cohorts.

"A heart!" the devil boy Telary had saved from Heartless moments ago chimes in. "A heart to control the Heartless. What should we do?"

The third member of the trio, the only girl, scoffs loudly at her partners' stupidity. "Isn't it obvious?" The boys stare back into her purple witch's mask that perfectly complements her witch costume obliviously. "Tell Oogie Boogie!"

Giggling madly, the trio hop into the bathtub and urge it forward with all speed.

"Vlad, have you seen Sally anywhere, by chance?" Jack asks one of the vampire trio, the shortest.

"I zink she vas in ze graveyard," he answers in an odd accent. "Lazt I heard, anyvay."

"G-g-graveyard?" Telary asks fearfully.

Jack nods, smiling impishly. "And it will be so lovely in this moonlight! Come along, friends!"

The group follows the Pumpkin King into an area near the outskirts of town, full of tombstones decorated in all manner of shapes and sizes. A small one near the entrance even looks like a doghouse, the name ZERO written on a small sign in the ground beside it.

Out of that grave rises the ghost dog that had so scared Azlyn and Telary earlier, barking and yipping happily at the sight of Jack. Zero floats around his master, sniffing joyously.

"Hey there, Zero!" Jack greets the dog as it licks his bony face. It would be sweet, Telary thinks, if it wasn't such a disturbing image. "Have you seen Sally, boy? We could really use her help."

Zero yips and flashes through the air, stopping to hover over a large granite slab with BURTON carved across its face. He barks loudly, and in a moment a girl emerges from behind it. Every part of her looks patchwork, haphazardly sewn together, from the stitches in her face to the messily patterned dress she wears. In her hands she clutches a few dead flowers.

"Oh, hello Jack!" she greets the Pumpkin King, stepping to him and looking up at him with soulful blue eyes. After a moment though, their brightness dims. "I heard those dreadful Heartless attacking, so I hid. Oh Jack, I fear they may be too scary even for one of _your _festivals!"

Jack shrugs off the accusation. "I assure you Sally, this is just a temporary glitch." He winks at her. "And we could solve it faster if you'd give us your Memory ingredient. You know, the one Dr. Finkelstein gave to you…?"

"You mean, this?" Sally holds up the deceased bouquet in her hand. Jack reaches out for it, but she pulls back, a worried look on her patchwork face. "I'm not sure about this, Jack. There's still time until Halloween! Why, with your brilliant mind, I know you could…"

"Trust me, Sally," Jack says as reassuringly as he can. He places his hands on her shoulders and looks her dead in the eye. "This heart is going to work like nothing you've ever seen before! The trouble will pass soon enough, you'll see."

The patchwork girl nods and hands over her flowers, still frowning intently. Jack accepts them gratefully and lopes off on his long legs, headed out of the cemetery. "Thank you!" he calls over his shoulder.

Sally turns to Sora, Azlyn, and Telary, looking at the trio pleadingly. "You must convince Jack not to go through with this Heartless Halloween idea! I've had a… a very bad feeling that this will all end terribly if you don't!"

"You and me both, sister," Azlyn agrees.

"At least keep an eye on him, won't you?" the girl asks, looking at Sora hopefully.

The Keybearer nods, resolute. "You have my word, Sally. Nobody will hurt Jack while I'm around."

"I hope that girl doesn't think I'm going to share my 'I told you so'-ing with her," Azlyn comments as the trio leave the graveyard, following Jack Skellington from a distance.

"Could she be right, though?" Sora asks, sounding concerned. "I mean, I was all for this at first, but ever since the Heartless started attacking… I don't know guys. Jack seems pretty eager to control the Darkness of the Heartless. Do you think we'll have to take him down?"

Telary looks worried, but Azlyn just shrugs it off.

"Well hey," she says as flippantly as possible, though it doesn't quite lighten the mood, "at least it's just this Jack clown. I mean, it could be _much _worse…"

**KH-KH-KH**

Far away from Halloween Town, in a place even those whose existence celebrates fear dare to tread, the trio of children from the town square arrive in a dark room underneath a terrifying mansion.

They all huddle inside their tub, clinging to each other as they shake in fear at the sight before them.

"Well, well, well, what have we here?" Oogie Boogie singsongs, skipping around his private entertainment room flapping his burlap arms. "A heart, you say? A heart that can control the Heartless! Well Lock, Shock, dearest Barrel, this is the best news I've heard all day! In years even!"

"W-w-we thought you'd like this, Mr. Oogie," Lock, the devil child, stammers nervously, more relieved than pleased to have his boss's praise.

"I was the one who heard about it first!" chimes in pudgy Barrel, before being pulled down and conked in the head by the purple clad witch Shock.

"That sad sucker Jack has just made himself the _ultimate_ mistake, boys and girls!" Oogie declares, stopping in his revelry and turning to loom over his minions. "Now I got a mission for y'all! Up for it?'

"Yes sir!" all three children chime in in unison.

"I want you three to get into that Dr. Frickfrackstein's lab and nab that heart, then bring it back to me!"

"Whatever you say, Mr. Oogie!"

As the children depart in their tub, Oogie reclines back on his self-made throne, contemplating his future.

"Why, with that heart my control of the Heartless will surpass even Maleficent!" He collapses into a fit of giggles thinking about what he'll do to that arrogant witch once the Heartless are his alone to command. "Yessir, when the Heartless are under _my _command, there'll be no more bandying about with princesses and silly Keyholes, no way! Just the greatest show in the universe, starring me, Oogie Boogie! I can just feel the adoration now, oh yes I can. 'Cause I'm the Oogie Boogie man!"

His maniacal laugh once again echoes in his chamber of death.

**KH-KH-KH**

It takes some more time to gather a few more pieces Dr. Finkelstein insists are necessary for the heart: a jack-in-the-box for Surprise, comedy and tragedy masks for Joy and Sadness, and a burning coal for Rage. Throwing those in with the Forget-Me-Nots' Memory and adding another Heartless for testing meant that they could begin their experiment anew.

Finkelstein looks over the assembled heart in his lap like a proud papa gazing on his newborn. It feels a bit creepy to Azlyn, and she says as much.

"I'm sure this experiment will work, Doctor," Jack assures the scientist with a skeletal grin.

"Or create a new batch of Super-Heartless," Azlyn mutters to Sora, who also looks concerned with this new attempt.

"Nonsense!" the Doctor rages, having apparently heard the comment. "Why, this may be my safest experiment yet! I even tied down the subject!" The Heartless is indeed restrained with thick leather straps. Finkelstein begins wheeling over to the slab, artificial heart in his lap. "Every possibility has been prepared for!"

Just then, out from the shadows darts Barrel. The tubby boy rams directly into the wheel of Finkelstein's chair, sending the old mad scientist flopping to the ground and the heart flying through the air.

It comes down into the hands of Lock, who stands on the rim of the moving bathtub with Shock beside him. Giggling, Barrel slides to the door and jumps in too.

"Later, losers!" Shock mocks with a high pitched giggle, raising a tiny fist in the air. She hurls it downward and throws down a fine purple powder that explodes into concealing mist upon contact with the lab floor.

The mist fills the room, choking the occupants and erupting coughing fits all about the laboratory. When it finally clears, the troublemakers are gone.

"Confounded hooligans!" Finkelstein rages, shaking his fist in the air with impotent rage. "When I get my hands on them they'll be sorry they took my heart. That's a promise!"

Jack and Sora rise and help the scientist into his wheelchair, which Telary returns to an upright position. "We'll catch them, Doctor, don't worry," the Pumpkin King says assuringly. "Come along, fellows!"

The quartet race out into the square, but find it quiet and empty, with no sign of the troublemakers to be found.

"We lost 'em!" Azlyn growls, clenching her fist.

Telary raises an eyebrow at her. "I thought you didn't want the experiment to happen, Azlyn?"

"True," the knight admits with a shrug. "But _I _wanted to be the one that busted it up, not a bunch of snot-nosed punk kids!"

"But where did they go?" Sora asks, still looking around and hoping that he'll find some trace or clue. "How do we find them?"

Jack suddenly perks up, giggling madly. "It's so obvious! Zero! Oh, Zero!"

The ghostly dog comes flying through the air, barreling right through its master in its eagerness to come. Realizing his mistake, Zero backs up to look up at Jack.

"Zero is the best tracker in Halloween Town," the Pumpkin King explains, grinning his ghastly-pleased grin. "Find Lock, Shock, and Barrel, boy. C'mon, I know you can do it!"

Zero rises into the air with a determined yip, his glowing pumpkin nose twitching as he samples the air. After a moment, he yelps triumphantly before shooting off for the graveyard.

"What a dog!" Jack exclaims, rushing off. The trio chases after him, finding it difficult to keep up with his long legged strides.

Zero leads the quartet all through town and into the Graveyard, flying past tombstones in his determination to track the heartnappers.

Zero suddenly takes a sharp turn left, rushing through a gate and down a long path, surrounded in both sides by mottled, near dead trees.

The path continues for perhaps a mile before they reach the end, a large field with a hill rising out its middle, growing thinner at the top until it ends in a curly cue.

"Moonlight Hill," Jack explains, gesturing to the odd topography. "But where would they go from here?"

Zero answers that question, zooming off for the far end of the field, past the curling hill. The group follow him until the dog suddenly stops, yipping and barking at something he sees on the ground.

Or rather, _in _the ground.

Jack jumps in without hesitating, and the offworlders follow, one by one landing in a pool of green sludge, darker than the kind found in the square's fountain but no less gross. Jack gestures for them to continue and they do, trudging through the syrupy liquid.

"I hope," Telary says, grunting a bit as he struggles to push his bandaged leg through the thick slime, "that these costumes don't come with a cleaning deposit. Because, let me tell ya, we're not getting it back."

The tunnel ends in a few yards, emerging at the bottom of a hill sloping upward. Something like the point of a tall tower can be seen just over the horizon.

"Aha!" Jack exclaims, pushing through the last few slimy feet and sprinting up the hill with grim determination. "I just _knew _he had to be behind this!"

"Behind this?" Sora asks as he follows the Pumpkin King up the hill much more slowly. When he arrives at the top he looks out at the valley below, an enormous mansion seemingly made chaotically out of dozens of structures with no rhyme or reason, rising so high in the sky the tip of its tallest tower pierces the clouds. Backdropped against the brightness of the full moon, it manages to inspire terror. "Whose mansion is this?"

"Oogie Boogie's," Jack replies through angrily clenched teeth. "My eternal rival! He's tried to ruin Halloween for me for years!"

"Wait a minute. Boogie?" Telary exclaims, fear flooding his body. "As in, the _boogeyman_?"

"The very same," Jack confirms with a grim nod. "Oogie is my opposite and eternal rival. I scare for thrills, fun, and entertainment! He only uses his powers to create true terror, the kind that leaves grown men and women gibbering in madness and despair."

"Sounds like just the kind of guy I have the Keyblade to take down," Sora says, summoning his weapon in one gloved hand.

"Look down there!" Azlyn points out, pointing down to the base of the manor, where the crawling bathtub can be seen crawling around aimlessly, the three hooligans riding along inside. The heart is nowhere to be found, however.

"I've got this one, guys," Telary says, twirling his staff with aplomb. He raise it high into the air. "Feather Fall!"

The quartet leap off the hill's edge, their descent magically slowed enough that they land with incident.

Azlyn lands closest to the tub, and leaps forward with a triumphant growl. "Got you now you… Huh?"

Inside the bathtub sit three dolls dressed up in the costumes of Lock, Shock, and Barrel. The heart isn't within.

"Those little sneaks!" Azlyn huffs indignantly. "They must have… yarrgh!"

Leaping down from above come the real Lock, Shock, and Barrel, each kid latching onto a different part of the knight, kicking and punching with all their might. It wouldn't be much individually, but combined, it's enough to be distracting, if not terribly painful.

"Azlyn!" Telary yells stepping forward to help his friend. A wild kick from Shock, however, impacts him in the jaw and sends him sprawling to the ground. Seeing a potential enemy downed, the witch girl leaps off Azlyn and towards him. Panicked, the mage raises his staff. "Thunder!"

Magical energy gathers, but Telary is too unfocused from the kick to the face and his fall, and as such the bolt shoots down a few inches too far off target, crashing straight down into Azlyn's tall hair.

The electricity of the bolt ignites something in the hair, coating the knight's body in a dazzling blue current. She doesn't seem adversely affected, but Lock and Barrel take a full body shock each.

After a few seconds the light show fades, steam rising from all over Azlyn's body. Lock and Barrel fall to the dirt, stunned.

Shock is luckily distracted by the fate of her fellows, and before she can regain her composure, Jack Skellington picks her up in one bony hand, staring down at her sternly.

"What did Azlyn do?" Sora asks, looking over his still steaming companion.

"Yeah, even I was shocked," the knight admits with a sly grin.

"Ha ha," Telary deadpans, poking around in the tall column of hair atop the girl's head. Finally, he finds something. Pushing the hair back, he reveals a giant metal bolt rising directly from Azlyn's skull into the air.

"No wonder she's been so grumpy," Sora jokes with a grin.

"I suspect that this metallic object acted as some kind of lightning rod," Telary explains, smiling at the oddness of it. "The costume must carry electricity incredibly well, but also be insulated enough to keep you from harm. Fascinating!"

By now Lock and Barrel have recovered, and Jack tosses Shock down to sit beside them. Putting on his most serious face, the Pumpkin King looks down on them like a drill sergeant in interrogation mode.

"I promise that if you three cooperate, I'll see if there's some way I can mitigate your punishments," the skeleton man bargains, sounding more serious than he ever has. "But you have to tell me something in exchange: Where is Oogie Boogie?"

The mischievous trio say nothing, only giggle further amongst themselves.

"What's so funny, eh?" Azlyn says, getting in Shock's face with a tough look. "Tell us where Oogie Boogie is!"

"Why, I'm right here, sweet thang," bellows a deep voice, amusement dripping from every syllable.

The heroic quartet whirls to see Oogie Boogie, a squat creature that seems to have been made out of a stuffed burlap sack. Dark eyes gleam at the group, and in the smile they see there are no teeth, only wriggling pink worms. His arms end in soft points, and in one of them he holds the artificial heart.

"Give that back!" Sora demands, stepping forward with the Keyblade poised to strike. Behind him, Jack Skellington steps forward as well.

"What, this thing?" he mockingly asks, waving the heart around airily. "The instrument of my triumph, the tool I'll use to take over this miserable town and then give that uppity witch what for? _This _heart?"

"Uppity witch…" Telary mumbles to himself, a thought forming in his brain. "Maleficent! You're in league with Maleficent!"

"Scum of a feather," Azlyn chimes in, scowling threateningly at the burlap bandit.

"I might be 'in league' with that nasty sorceress right now, but with this heart…" With all possible haste, Oogie stuffs the heart directly down his gullet in a single gulp. The heroes gasp at the sight. "With this heart, I'll leave her in the dust! Or, should I say Darkness. Oh, HEARTLESS!"

The trio take a step back in unison, eyes darting round, awaiting the inevitable flood of Heartless. For a few seconds, nothing comes.

Then, swooping done from the sky to float at the shoulders of their dark master come two Gargoyles.

It's not very impressive, and _definitely_ not what the boogeyman had in mind. He looks at his "army" in bewilderment and pure disgust.

"What the hell gives?" he cries out in anguish, rage lacing every word. So caught up is he in anger and frustration, he fails to notice Jack and Sora rush him.

Luckily for him the Heartless do, flying forward to take the heart of the Keybearer. It's quick work for Sora to slash them both through, but by then Oogie has regained his senses. With a scowl, he throws down a pair of dice and takes off.

The dice explode as they hit the ground, and Sora rears back to avoid the flames. Jack, however, makes no move to stop, rushing through the flames and out the other side without losing a step, his suit aflame.

Oogie takes a worried glance over his shoulder, and his terror at seeing the charging Pumpkin King distracts him, leaving him unable to see the bathtub scurrying past his feet. He trips and goes down, hard.

Jack Skellington stops on a dime, hovering above his rival wreathed in flames, so far spread now that even his eye sockets are full of fire. Looking up at that sight, Oogie Boogie knows true terror.

Without a word, the Pumpkin King slices his sharp finger through burlap skin, unleashing a tide of multicolored bugs, all crawling over each other to escape.

"N-n-no!" Oogie cries out in despair as h slowly deflates. "This wasn't, this isn't… It can't end now, it just can't. I… I…" The last bug flees his carcass, and Oogie Boogie is no more.

Jack inspects the remains, but the artificial heart is as gone as Oogie.

"Well that wasn't hard," Azlyn says, grinning. "I mean, usually there's some kind of big giant, y'know, _thing_ that we have to…"

At that moment the ground begins to shake and quake, the enormous manor swaying from one side to the other. Darkness spreads across it, until all of the structure is covered in it.

For a moment, all is still.

And then the darkness rises, oozing its way back up the manor in reverse, until it all gathers into an orb at the top.

Parts of the manor's wood have been replaced with swathes of fabric, the same burlap Oogie had inhabited only a minute ago.

"Okay, I spoke too soon," Azlyn admits to herself.

"What's going on?" Jack asks Sora, who merely shakes his head, as confused as anyone.

"I think we need to destroy that orb, though," he says, pointing up at it. "Look!"

A great burst of Darkness erupts from the orb, fading out until it becomes a cloud of Shadows with tiny wings. Sensing the power of the Keyblade, they fly for the group in a swarm.

"C'mon!" Sora cries, jumping up and grabbing the edge of the manor, pulling himself up. "We've got to get to the top!"

The others follow his lead, keeping an eye on the flying Shadows baring down on them. They dive, but Telary raises his staff and lets loose a fireball that consumes half the swarm. The other half Sora uses a thunder spell on, consigning the creatures to oblivion.

They climb and climb until they reach the top, the orb of Darkness as tall as Jack, giving off continuous sparks of dark energy.

"What should we do?" Azlyn asks.

"Destroy it," instructs a wispy voice. There's a sudden gust of wind, and when it settles, the specter of Oogie Boogie floats before the group, looking at them with pleading terror. "The Darkness… Inside me… Set me free, please! I-I'm scared…"

Sora nods, extending the Keyblade. Light gathers at its tip and shoots into the Darkness, erupting in a white light that expands to consume its dark energy. In moments, the orb is gone.

"Thank you," Oogie's shade says with a voice of pure relief. "Thank you, for setting me free."

The group looks at the spot where the ghost had faded for a moment, until suddenly the manor begins to shake once again, the preliminary stages of collapsing in on itself Telary posits.

With another Feather Fall, the party jumps to the safety of the hill, landing just in time to watch the manor utterly implode.

"What happened to that Boogie guy?" Azlyn asks.

"The Darkness consumed him, I guess," Telary explains, as best as he knows how. "In the end, he didn't control the Heartless, they controlled him."

"Like Clayton," Sora says. Telary nods at him.

"So, this is where it leads, huh?" Jack says, sounding as numb and hollowed out as dead, dry bones. "Using the Heartless is nothing but trouble. I realize that now. I don't think I'll ever forget it."

Behind the group there's the sound of leaves rustling, and Sora turns to see Lock, Shock, and Barrel fleeing into the underbrush. It seems they've learned their lesson too.

The walk back to Moonlight Hill takes longer without the secret passage, but eventually the party reaches it. Telary takes a minute to marvel at its odd natural formation.

"I mean, this kind of thing doesn't just occur in nature," he says, inspecting every inch. "I mean, this had to have been made by… something."

Sora barely takes notice of the mage's words, stopping to stare at the moon shining perfectly through the hole in the middle of the curly cue, directly to the spot below his feet, where a small headstone sits.

A headstone with the shape of a keyhole on its face.

Sora summons his blade and steps back. Light gathers at its tip and shoots into the headstone. There's a flash of light, and suddenly the Keyhole is gone, replaced by the letters R.I.P.

Rest In Peace. Now, Halloween Town and its citizens can.

* * *

**And there's the bulk of Halloween Town. The dénouement/epilogue should be finished soon. **

**Special shout out to B.T Emmett's great review. I am so honored by your kind words, and those of everyone who has reviewed. Not that my silent followers don't have a place in my heart too, however. That kind of encouragement is really what gets my juices flowing, creativity wise, so thank you very much and I look forward to hearing from you if you choose to review again, as well as everyone else who feels drawn to.**

**Until next time!**


	26. Last Dance

With a single downward chop of the Keyblade, Sora slices through Dr. Finkelstein's research subject, the last Heartless in Halloween Town. He grins, glad to have ended the threat before the forces of Darkness could disrupt the strange merriment of this unique world.

Jack isn't so sanguine, however, sitting at the edge of the slab with his skull held in his hands. Sally stands beside him with a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"Please Jack, you've got to perk up!" the patchwork girl encourages him. "There's not much time left until Halloween, and there's still a festival to be planned!"

The Pumpkin King sighs, looking up at the girl with sad eye-sockets. "Oh, how can I plan another festival now? My last plan nearly got everyone in town killed! I could have ended Halloween itself! Oh, why didn't I listen to you, Sally?"

"Or me," Azlyn mutters to Sora and Telary. The mage rolls his eyes at her, and Sora shakes his head.

"I forgive you, Jack," Sally says, bringing some hope back to the skeleton man's face. She shakes her head and chuckles. "I know how you can be, how your enthusiasm leads you to make reckless choices." She bends down to look him in the sockets. "But it's also what makes your successful Halloweens so great. You can't lose all that now, just because of one little mistake. In fact, we're going to need that enthusiasm more than ever!"

Jack smiles, perking up in a flash. "Thank you Sally. You always know just how to make me feel better!"

"Oh, Jack!" The patchwork girl smiles and looks away, a recognizable tinge of red coloring her cheeks.

"I just don't understand it," Dr. Finkelstein sighs from his work desk, where he's been frustratedly pouring over his research notes. "I had emotions, I had memory, I put everything I needed into that heart and the confounded thing never worked! It's inconceivable!"

Sora frowns and looks at the doctor inquisitively. "But, Doctor, you told us you made Sally." He gestures to the slab, where Jack and Sally are giving each other soulful looks, seemingly lost in their own world. "And if I had to guess, I'd say _she _has a heart. Why didn't you just make this heart the way you did Sally's?"

The Doctor frowns and grazes his chin, then unhinges his cranium and gives his brain a good scratch. It's still as gross as it was before. "It's the damndest thing, but do you know I never _gave _Sally a heart? When I first created her, she was just a soulless automaton, did all my bidding without question. Over time, time with _Jack_, it seemed she developed a heart of her own. One week she's a useful servant, the next she's a flighty girl who thinks she knows better than her creator!"

"I think the lesson here," Telary posits sagely, "is that when it comes to the heart, you can't rush things. You've just got to let it develop over time."

"Actually," Azlyn chimes in, looking smugly amused, "I think the lesson is 'Don't use creatures of pure Darkness as performers in musical entertainment', personally."

Everyone has a good chuckle at that.

"Sora, Azlyn, Telary," Jack says, extricating himself from Sally's gaze and standing before the trio, "I want to thank you for saving Halloween Town's citizens, and helping me come to my senses." His grin grows more pronounced. "And, I'd like to invite you all on as official members of the Halloween Planning Committee, to help generate new ideas for Halloween. I'd really appreciate your help. Especially you, Azlyn!"

Sora looks bewildered at that. "Huh? What do you mean?"

"Well, isn't it obvious?" Jack exclaims, putting a bony hand on the knight's shoulder. She gives it a sneer and he removes it quickly. "The way she moves, how she fights, her feats of acrobatics! C'mon now, I can always recognize a trained dancer when I see one!"

Sora gives the knight a look of pure delight, and Telary smiles softly at her as well. Azlyn looks away, blushing.

"You took dance classes?" Sora guffaws. "What, were you like some kind of ballerina? Did you wear a tutu? Oh, man, this is _hilarious_!"

The girl scowls at him, but there's not much malice behind it. In a way, she's relieved that this is out in the open. "Well, when I turned nine, I told the King that I wanted to start fighting lessons, that I wanted to be a Royal Guard. He said he'd do his best, but there weren't actually any fighting classes, not even for boys, so I signed up for dance instead. Purely as a tool of combat, you understand. But, it turned out to not be _so _bad." She puffs up proudly. "I happen to have several medals for it, if you must know!"

Sora smiles at her teasingly. "Well, why don't you give us a little demonstration?"

"Would you please?" Jack pleads, clasping his hands together in prayer. "I'd love to incorporate some more professional moves."

Azlyn sighs, but nods her assent. The group heads out into town square, where a few monsters are milling around. Including, luckily, the singing vampires.

Jack explains the situation to them and they all pull out stringed instruments and begin to play. Azlyn takes position in a clear area, and when the music kicks in, she begins to dance.

She whirls and twirls, pirouetting across the square as graceful as a gazelle, every movement perfectly in time to the beat.

Sora smiles as he watches the display, and thinks of Kairi. Truth be told, Sora has had some dance lessons himself. He and Kairi were eight and the girl had been insistent. Never one to say no to his friend, Sora had agreed to enroll with her. It had only lasted a month, until Riku found out and used it as ammo for merciless teasing, but the Keybearer still remembers every lesson, especially the dances he was partnered with Kairi for.

He pictures it now, the two of them dancing together, not as eight year olds, but as they are now. It brings a tear to his eye, which he quickly and self-consciously wipes away.

Jack has no such qualms, letting the tears dribble from his sockets unchecked as he watches the magnificent performance.

And Telary watches his counterpart as well. He's seen her do this before, had been at every recital to support her when he was younger, but it's been years since the knight has danced publically. Her form is different now, more graceful and elegant than it had been during her younger years.

It's beautiful.

After several minutes the music fades and Azlyn stops, arms raised and feet pointed. The entire square erupts in joyous applause.

No one claps louder than Sora and Telary, though.

The girl gives a gracious bow, then a deep curtsy. Applause still ringing out in the square, she approaches her companions and Jack.

"Ta da," she says, no emotion apparent in her voice. In her heart though, she's glad to have had another chance to wow a crowd with her skills, like she hasn't in years. It reminds her of what it's like to truly be a child again.

"Simply wonderful," Jack gushes, wiping away tears from his skeletal face. "You all simply must stay and help plan Halloween!"

Sora frowns at the Pumpkin King. "I wish we could, but there are things we've got to do. Y'know, other holidays to save!"

Jack nods amiably, leaning down into a bow so low his forehead touches the pavement. He rises again and gives the trio a grin. "Until next time."

"Next time," Sora agrees with a nod. With another wave, he turns and walks for the town's exit. As he goes, the citizens applaud once more for the conquering heroes. Their saviors.

"Now this is more like it," Azlyn comments. "Not a rotten fruit in sight."

Jack watches them go, thinking on Sora's last words. He scratches his bony chin, contemplating. "_Other _holidays? Hm…"


	27. Zero To Hero

Jiminy Cricket sits on a table in the Gummi ship's common room, doing some proofreading and necessary edits to his journal entry on the underwater world of Atlantica. He hums softly as he works, his tiny pen moving deftly across the page. Distantly, he hears the sound of the trio returning, climbing up from the ladder below.

"Hey, Jiminy!" Sora greets the chronicler, sounding cheerful as his footsteps make their way across the floor. "We saved a world and didn't die!"

The cricket smiles, putting his pen down and turning around. "That's nice Sora. Just let me finish up some edits on this last section, and I'll… AAAAAAAAAAAHHH!"

Jiminy jumps at least three feet in the air before landing and huddling in a fetal position. He doesn't know who that pointy-teethed freak or his monstrous companions are, or what they've done with Sora, Azlyn, and Telary, but…

"Oh," Sora mutters, looking down and realizing that he's still in his vampiric Halloween costume. He looks back and sees the still spooky forms of Telary the mummy and FrankenAzlyn. "I guess I forgot that we still look scary."

"Ah, yes," Telary chuckles nervously, drawing his staff and waving it around. Light gathers on its tip as he prepares a spell.

There's a flash, and when it fades the trio are once again in their normal travelling outfits.

Jiminy peeks out and sees that the threat has passed, and it's just Sora, Azlyn, and Telary standing before him.

"Sorry about that, Jim," Sora apologizes, scratching the back of his neck timidly. "That last world was, uh, different."

"Weird," Azlyn mutters, walking over to the table and pulling out a chair. She flops down into it, looking tired.

"Spooky," Telary admits, shuddering a bit at the thought of Halloween Town's eerie denizens.

Jiminy shakes his head to clear it. "Well, I can't wait to hear about it. Oh, and by the way, somebody came along and dropped something off."

Sora raises an eyebrow. "Who?"

Jiminy shakes his head at the memory of the visitor. "Some blue fella in a toga. Had wings on his feet. Oh, what was his name again? He was kinda annoying…"

"Hermes?" Azlyn suggests, pretty sure that physical description could only be applied to the messenger of the gods and Olympus Coliseum's announcer.

Jiminy snaps his fingers. "Yes, that was it exactly! He dropped something off for you. Some papers or something, looked kinda like tickets? Anyway, I put it in the cockpit…"

The trio dash off before Jiminy can finish his thought, all headed for the ladder to the cockpit. There's a brief shoving match when Sora and Azlyn arrive at the same time, but momentarily the Keybearer pushes past the knight and climbs up.

Sitting on the dashboard is a small piece of paper. Sora snatches it up and reads it aloud.

"The Olympus Coliseum is once again open for business, after being damaged heavily in an attack by Cerberus, three-headed guard dog of the Underworld, who was handily defeated by Hercules, son of Zeus, and accomplices…"

"Accomplices?" Azlyn scoffs, perturbed. "That's a load of…"

"Proudly announces the 1st Annual **Hercules Cup**! A test of strength and skill by the world's mightiest heroes, with a special prize match available for the champion!" Sora puts down the flier and picks up the three scraps of cardstock next to it, all of which declare themselves Hercules Cup Tournament Passes.

"Wow…" Sora breathes out as he looks over the passes in his hands. "Finally, another tournament, and a chance to get out of the junior hero leagues!"

"Provided we all keep our pants on this time," Azlyn slyly comments to Telary, who blushes and looks away.

"And what about this special match for the winner, eh?" Sora says, stars in his eyes as he imagines. "I'll bet anything it's a chance to go up against Hercules! That would be so cool!"

"Minus all the punched we'd get," Telary says cautiously, grimacing at the thought of the demigod's bulging biceps powering his fist in a collision against his face.

"And it says there's prize munny," Azlyn adds with glee. "Forty-five thousand! Sounds like a sweet deal to me!"

Sora turns to Telary to tell him to prep the ship, but finds that the mage still looks nervous.

"C'mon, Tel," Sora pleads, activating puppy dog eyes once again. "It'll be fun…"

The mage sighs and drops into the pilot's seat, beginning the ship's power up sequence. "Well, I guess if you two would have a good time. And, y'know, we didn't find the Keyhole last time we were there, so…" There's a rumble as the Gummi ship's engines start up. "Why not?"

Within five minutes, the ship has left Halloween Town's atmosphere. Telary inputs the coordinates to Olympus and pulls the lever, sending the trio on their way to battle for glory.

**KH-KH-KH**

Hercules immediately greets the trio upon arrival to the coliseum, looking over them all hospitably.

"Sora, Azlyn, and Telary!" he says with a huge grin on his face. The demigod casually reaches out to smack Telary on the shoulder in a friendly manner. The mage stumbles back from the sheer force of it. "You guys gonna compete in the games today?"

Sora smiles up at the True Hero and nods enthusiastically. "And we're gonna win 'em too!" he says with no lack of confidence. "Especially if what I think about that bonus match for the winner is true." At the Keybearer's side, Azlyn looks smugly up at Herc.

"Maybe it is," Hercules chuckles in reply, with a sly wink at the pair, "maybe it isn't. You'll just have to wait for the tournament's end to see!"

They enter the lobby to see Phil standing in the middle of it on a pedestal, one of the game's programs curled up in his hands as a makeshift megaphone.

"What do you mean, you can't move it?" the old satyr roars at a pair of burly workmen struggling to lift the massive block against the right wall. "I hired you specifically because you said you could… Hey, kids!"

Forgetting all about his administrative troubles, Phil hops down and struts up to the trio and Hercules on his goat legs, a big smile across his face.

"Well, if it ain't the junior heroes. Back for some more punishment?" he teases slyly, looking over the three of them appraisingly. "There's somethin' different about the three of you, I know it! Just can't put my foot on it…"

"Something True Hero-y?" Azlyn asks hopefully. She and Sora lean in and smile down at the trainer.

Phil merely laughs, shaking his head as he amusedly chuckles. The pair's smiles turn to frowns. "No, you ain't there yet, kids. Not even close! But, maybe with some more training…"

Azlyn sighs. "Are you gonna make us fight barrels again?"

Phil smiles up at her slyly. "Hey, Rule number six: When you got a method that works, ya don't go changin' it! Now c'mon, we ain't got much time!"

Despite exchanging exasperated eye rolls with Sora, the knight follows Phil out to the practice area, the boys falling in line behind her.

**KH-KH-KH**

Images of Sora, Azlyn, and Telary play in real time through a large circle of flame in the lord of the Underworld's private office, showing the trio deftly defeat course after course of barrel challenges.

Hades pays attention for maybe a minute, but soon his attention drifts back to the list in his hand of warriors he could hire to defeat Hercules. It's pretty disappointing, in his eyes.

"Bubba Fat?" he reads aloud skeptically to his minions Pain and Panic, who cringe at the sound of disappointment in their short-tempered boss's voice. "What kinda bounty hunter is named Bubba Fat?"

"Um, actually, your Excellence Lord Hades sir, the name is Boba Fett," Panic, a thin green creature who exists in a constant state of twitchy terror, corrects gently.

"He's the best in the universe, we heard," Pain, a squat, round pink imp, chimes in defensively, hoping that he won't have to live up to his name today.

Hades rolls his eyes. "Yeah, right. There still seems to be something wrong with him. Like he doesn't belong, y'know?" The god continues to peruse down the page, passing uninteresting sounding name after uninteresting sounding name. Absolutely none of the candidates stick out to him.

He sighs deeply, settling further back into his throne. Why does it always seem like the entire universe is getting together to conspire against him? That it could be retribution for himself conspiring against the universe never even crosses his mind.

There's a sudden and noticeable surge through the god's body, the same he gets when anyone who doesn't belong in his turf comes to call. There's someone in the Underworld who isn't dead.

Not a moment later, Maleficent sweeps in through the door. She stops, eyeing the room with barely concealed disdain.

Hades rolls his eyes. "Yeah, like you're one to comment on interior decorating, Miss 'dilapidated castle ruins in a half-dead world.' Sheesh!"

The witch's glare at the general room focuses specifically onto Hades, so intense and full of evil that it chills even him.

"Why do you persist in wasting your time in attempts to have some 'champion' of yours defeat Hercules?" Maleficent asks, one eyebrow raised archly at her compatriot. "Time better spent searching for this world's Keyhole. If the Heartless were to unmake that wretched Coliseum, would not your foe stand just as vanquished?"

Hades sighs and gives his eyes a rub. It's a crying shame, the kind of crap he has to put up with.

"Look, okay, I'll level with ya, Mal," Hades says acquiescingly, as much as he knows how. "I'm gonna assume you've never had a nemesis you hate with such fervor you dream about his death. I mean, I know that key brat is throwin' a wrench in your universal destruction or domination or whatever bit, but I can tell that you don't _hate _him." The lord of the Underworld takes a big breath. "Well, sister, it's different between me and Wonder Boy, okay? I've been plotting this kid's downfall since he was in diapers, and every time his demise has eluded me. I want to see him _suffer_, I want to see him _bleed_. So excuse me if my direct approach is an inconvenience to you. Newsflash, I don't care!"

The jade-skinned woman sneers at him, green flames playing around the edge of her cloak as her ire rises.

"Well, if your own personal agenda is more important to you than our group's plans, then perhaps…"

"Ha!" Hades bursts out laughing, clutching his stomach as he doubles over in his throne from all the mirth. "W-what _group_, lady? That Keyblade moron and his idiot friends have all but _wasted_ your little evil pep band, one by one. And believe me, I know. They all end up here!" He shakes his head.

Maleficent shrugs, not looking away for one second. She isn't shy, Hades will give her that. "Acceptable losses all. In no time at all, we will have the last two Princesses of Heart in our possession, and then…"

"Yeah, yeah, complete the Keyhole, flood of Darkness, rule all, blah blah blah." Hades rolls his eyes. "And if all those guys were just expendable anyway then, hey, what's one less cook in the kitchen, huh?"

Maleficent's anger builds, the green flames surrounding her whole body, her eyes turning cold and near reptilian. "You would dare defy me? Spurn my offer to rule all worlds?"

Hades stands up and steps forward directly into the flames of the witch's anger. It's almost sad that she thinks a bunch of fire, no matter what color, will scare a guy whose hair is _made _of the stuff.

"Yep."

With a primal scream of animal rage, the fire gathers in on Maleficent and explodes outward. Hades shields his face from its light with his hands, and when he moves them, the witch is gone.

"Wha a temper, eh?" Hades says over his shoulder to Pain and Panic, who slowly emerge from where they'd been cowering, behind the god's throne. Both of the little imps' bodies are haphazardly burned and blackened with soot. Hades strides coolly back to his chair and rests his immortal rump upon its seat once more. "Seriously, and I thought _I _could get steamed! Still…"

He waves his hands over the ring of fire, turning the image of the Keybearer finishing up his practice course into one of Hercules lifting weights in a gym.

"All this talk of going solo has given me an idea. And y'know, it just might be crazy enough to work!"

**KH-KH-KH**

Sora skids to a stop in front of Phil, Azlyn, and Telary, who have all assembled to watch the Keyblade wielder complete his last, most difficult practice course. Telary offers him a water bottle, and he eagerly accepts.

"Not bad at all, kid," Phil congratulates the boy, sounding as nonchalant as can be. "Maybe not tournament winning good, but you've got a certain something, I'll say that much!"

Sora scoffs at the satyr's suggestion. "C'mon, Phil. I bet I could win this tournament single-handed! In fact, I think I may just enter all by myself!"

"Fine by me," Telary chimes in agreeably, laying down on a nearby bench, still exhausted from his own course.

"And make me miss out on all the fun?" Azlyn scoffs, stepping up to the Keybearer and giving him a stern look in the eye. "Please, there's no way I'm just gonna sit by when…"

"I'll give you all the prize munny if I win," Sora states, raising a deal-making eyebrow. For a moment he and the knight start each other down intently.

"Deal." Azlyn scooches Telary over and takes a seat on the bench, right next to his head. The mage groans and moves to face the other way. "But if you _don't_ win, I still expect to get something from you."

"Well, _nobody _is gonna win if we don't hightail it on over to the opening ceremonies!" Phil yells, clapping his hands together to motivate the group. Sora falls in line behind the satyr immediately, while Azlyn helps Telary to his feet. After a few seconds leaning on her to get his senses right, the pair follow after Sora towards the arena exit.

As they walk through the corridors of the coliseum's interior, Sora glances around at the other competitors. They're a diverse lot, everything from hulking warriors to shorter, wiry competitors whose advantage must lie more in speed and skill. Some aren't even human, like a trio of tough-looking lizard men all in various hues. One of them, his skin a light green color, catches Sora looking and sneers at him contemptuously. The Keybearer looks away quickly.

"Hey, Sora!" Telary calls to the younger boy to get his attention. He's pointing at something off to the right. "Look, it's Cloud!"

Sora follows the mage's finger to see that Cloud is indeed in the corridor, leaning back against one wall with his arms crossed, his large sword sheathed across his back.

"Cloud! Hey Cloud!" Sora yells enthusiastically in the blond warrior's direction, jumping up and down and waving. "Cloud, it's Sora! Over here!"

Cloud's eyes move up from the ground over to the sound of the Keybearer's voice, and when he sees the boy his mouth twitches in a miniscule half-grin.

"Hello, Sora," he greets with a nod, his voice betraying only the slightest bit of pleasure.

"Are you gonna compete too?"

Another nod.

"Cool!" Sora exclaims, smiling broadly. "I guess we could have that rematch after all, huh? Man, that's so cool!"

Cloud shrugs. "We'll see how things play out."

Phil eyes Cloud skeptically. "I'm goin' out on a limb here and trusting that you ain't gonna use this as an opportunity to waste my boy Herc again, so no funny business!"

Cloud fixes the satyr with a deadly serious look. "I'm not that man anymore. I'm in this for sheer competition." He smirks a bit. "And hey, the prize munny wouldn't be half bad either."

"Honorable _and_ fiscally minded?" Azlyn whispers to Telary, looking giddy. "You better be ready to catch me, Tel, 'cause I'm thinking I might swoon!" Telary rolls his eyes and chuckles at his counterpart's antics.

"Well, I'll be watching your matches!" Sora promises. "Hope I'll see you in the ring!"

"Me too," Cloud says with a little nod.

**KH-KH-KH**

"Hello everyone!" Hermes greets the crowd vivaciously, flying through the air and doing deft spins, twists, and tricks. "Welcome to the 1st Annual Hercules Cup, and the first tournament since our little mishap at the seasonal prelims. But worry not, folks, nothing's going wrong this time!"

Sora stands at the end of his competitor tunnel, awaiting the cue from Hermes to head out and kick off the tournament. He hears the announcer's words, but only distantly, as the butterflies in his stomach seem to drown out most sounds.

He has no idea who he's been matched up against, as the rosters are kept secret from competitors to discourage cheating. He knows there are no Heartless signed up for the tournament, at least, but he still can't help but imagine heading out there only to be faced with some monstrous shadowy creature.

He admits to himself in his head that this preparation stage was certainly easier with Azlyn and Telary at his side. Even if the three of them hadn't necessarily become friends yet back then, knowing that there's someone who can watch your back is a powerfully comforting feeling.

He looks up and sees his companions in the stands, Azlyn rearing back to throw salted nuts into Telary's open mouth. He shakes his head at the sight. It's not the first time he's watched the pair alone, acting casually playful with the ease of lifelong friends. It reminds him of what he has with Kairi and…

Riku. Perhaps in that case, he worries, the correct tense would be _had_…

"Come on down Sora!"

At the sound of his name, Sora shakes off his reverie and strides into the arena, giving every step as confident an air as he can manage. All around him the crowd cheers, an almost impenetrable wall of noise. There are a _lot_ more spectators here now than had attended the previous cup. On the one hand, Sora can't help but add that to his list of things to be nervous about, but also it seems to create a kind of energy feedback, pumping him up even more for the battle to come.

"And here to challenge our tenacious Keybearer," Hermes announces with his usual aplomb, "are three brothers who put the AAAH in bangaa. They're a truly cold-blooded trio, say hello to Ba'Gamnan and his Bangaa Bros!"

From the other side of the arena enter the three lizardmen Sora had seen in the corridor, lead out by the green one who had glared at him. All three are dressed similarly in baggy pants with leather straps against their chests, the only real difference between them being their coloration. One is a much darker, more mottled green than the leader, the other a deep purple.

And of course, the light green one has a large staff with a circular blade affixed to its top.

Hermes floats down to the leader, presumably Ba'Gamnan. "Hello, Mr. Ba'Gamnan, I'm afraid we haven't seen you or your family around here before. Mind filling us in on your brothers' names?"

Ba'Gamnan snorts so hard that it actually sounds painful to Sora. "The green idiot's name is Gijuk, and the purple moron is Bwagi," the bangaa confirms, his voice rough and grating with a bit of an untraceable accent.

"Remember the name!" Bwagi interrupts, earning a glare from Ba'Gamnan and an unpleasant elbow in the side from Gijuk.

"There you have it folks! It looks like it's time to get this tournament started!" Hermes flies up over the arena as Sora and the bangaa take their places. All three of them scowl at the Keybearer, revealing sharp teeth,

The crowd quiets down gradually, until it's so quiet it would be possible to hear a pin drop.

"Begin!"

A loud bell sounds and the bangaa stalk forward towards Sora, Ba'Gamnan unlimbering the bladed staff from his back as he moves. Light glints off of something in Bwagi's hand, and further observation reveals it's a dagger as long as Sora's forearm.

Gijuk tires of waiting first, charging towards Sora with a loud bellow obviously designed for intimidation.

It hardly fazes Sora.

As the fight begins, Sora sidestepping Gijuk's clumsy charge and striking him across the back with the Keyblade, up in the stands Telary nervously munches handful after handful of salted nuts, chewing nervously.

"Gee, Telary!" Azlyn admonishes him with a frown. "Do ya mind keeping it down? I swear, there's nothing more annoying than…"

"That warm-blooded lil whelp ain't a match for my brothers!" a loud voice from a few rows to the left and down of Azlyn brags in a voice nearly as gravelly as the other bangaas', but just a shade softer. Looking down that way, she spies another bangaa with light purple skin and long white hair, dressed in baggy pants and what seems to be a dark purple bikini top, though what she's covering Azlyn has no desire to know. "Look at 'im! I give him five minutes!"

"Okay," Azlyn mutters darkly, narrowing her eyes at the disruptive lizard lady, "maybe there's _something_ more annoying…"

Back in the ring, Sora barely dodges an upward thrust from Bwagi's dagger, then swipes down the Keyblade on the lizardman's arm, drawing out a loud bellow of pain. Sensing advantage, he brings his elbow up into the scaly throat, then steps away as the bangaa begins to cough and choke.

At this point Gijuk attacks again, swinging down at Sora with his fists, one after the other as he advances. Sora retreats a step with every swing, waiting for the right moment to strike back.

He doesn't get it, as at that instant Ba'Gamnan comes in for his first attack of the fight, swinging the bladed circle atop his staff directly for Sora's back. The boy hears the approach and steps away, but the blades still graze his shoulder, leaving a thin cut across his upper back. He pivots and raises the Keyblade to block another swing, but Gijuk takes the opportunity to smash into his side, sending him tumbling across the arena.

"Look at 'im squirm!" the bangaa sister in the audience mocks, laughing uproariously and pointing to Sora, who has managed to stop his rolling but still isn't up yet, even though Bwagi is heading for him with his dagger at the ready. "He ain't nothin'!"

Telary looks at the ranting lizard girl with disdain, turning to Azlyn to discuss it. But when his head completes its turn, he finds that the knight is gone from her seat. Worried, he swivels back to see her approaching the purple bangaa down in the stands.

The mage nervously reaches for more nuts, only to find that his box is empty.

Bwagi runs at Sora, screaming, but the boy simply sits up and swings the Keyblade two-handed with all his might, connecting to the bangaa's knee through his baggy pants. Bwagi howls and falls as a light begins to surround him. Before he can even hit the ground, Bwagi is back outside the arena, still clutching at his wounded knee.

"One down on the Bangaa Bros side, folks, one down!" As Hermes announces, another bout of cheering surges up from the crowd.

Which happens to be perfect cover for Azlyn, who launches herself at the loud bangaa lady's backside.

The sounds of struggle _outside_ the arena draws the attention of everyone in the coliseum, from Hermes above to the combatants in the ring.

"Rinok!" Ba'Gamnan cries out, sounding more exasperated than concerned.

The purple bangaa in question reaches behind her back and grabs Azlyn by the arms, lifting the knight up and slamming her down into a stone bench hard enough to crack it in half. Azlyn groans in pain, and Telary begins to frantically make his way towards her, only to trip against a stone bench and go sprawling into the aisle himself.

Down in the arena, the combatants are too riveted by events in the stands to continue the match.

"Ha!" Rinok sneers at Azlyn, who twitches slightly in pain. The bangaa bends down to stare her straight in the face. "It looks like yer little boyfriend ain't gonna be the only… YAAAAARGH!"

Rinok rears back, still screaming as she clutches at the spot on her nose where Azlyn has just bitten her, blood running through her fingers.

"I'll kill you, ya little humie freak!" she roars, descending upon the knight once again, only to get a face full of Blizzard as Telary finally reaches the area of the stands where the fight is taking place.

She stumbles back as the freezing effect of the spell takes hold, coating her entire torso and face in a layer of ice.

With a roar of triumph, Azlyn springs up and delivers a devastating punch, shattering ice and sending Rinok down for the count. Just in time for security to arrive, too.

The same burly guards who had thrown the knight out of the coliseum's lobby but a few days ago grab her and Telary from behind, escorting them out of the arena.

"Ya see Sora!" the knight yells down into the arena, cackling and looking half-mad as she goes, bangaa blood still on her chin. "These lizard guys ain't nothin'!"

Telary says nothing, merely looks ashamedly at the ground.

With the drama in the stands over, the trio of remaining fighters seem to regain their senses. Sora stands quickly as Gijuk charges again and Ba'Gamnan comes in from the side, the sawblade at the tip of his staff suddenly whirling and hissing as the bangaa charges Sora!

Thinking back to the confrontation in the stands, and idea sparks in Sora. He aims his Keyblade at the ground and concentrates.

"Blizzard!" he yells out, and in a flash of blue energy the ground beneath Gijuk's feet turns icy. Too caught up in his attack to reverse momentum, the big bangaa slips and falls, sliding along the still icy ground on his butt. As he comes, Sora holds out the Keyblade parallel to the ground, and Gijuk slides into it facefirst. He yells in pain and clutches his nose as he teleports out of the arena.

It's down to just Sora and Ba'Gamnan now. The pair circle each other, both too cautious to make the first move.

"I'm not surprised ya managed to handle me brothers, mammal," the bangaa says mockingly. "Nor is it much of a surprise your lady handled ol' Rinok. Dumb as posts, all of them!" He stops and activates the buzzing saw atop his staff. "Me, however, you'll find a bit more challenging!"

Sora steps forward and swings the Keyblade down at Ba'Gamnan's head, but the lizard is quick enough to intercept, the whirling sawblade spitting sparks at the point where it contacts against the Keyblade. The duel is on in earnest, Keyblade clashing against sawblade as the combatants each try to gain the advantage, deft footwork keeping them moving.

They clash that way for nearly two minutes, and Sora is beginning to feel the strain in his arms as the fight continues. He realizes that he needs to find an opening or other advantage, and quickly, before his fatigue causes him to make a mistake…

But Ba'Gamnan makes one first, telegraphing his lunge forward an obvious attempt to get below Sora's guard. The Keybearer sees it coming, though, sidestepping and bringing his elbow into the bangaa's face.

Ba'Gamnan stumbles back, and Sora surges forward, landing a trio of powerful blows into his opponent's chest. Ba'Gamnan staggers, and when Sora swipes another blow directly into his midsection, it's too much for the lizardman, and he falls to the ground before teleporting away.

The crowd cheers for Sora's victory. Looking up at his now adoring public, the Keybearer beams.

**KH-KH-KH**

"You two are lucky I don't just go ahead and ban ya for the rest of yer lives!" Phil rages at Azlyn and Telary, standing deep in the corridor where no one will hear. "Fighting in the stands! I tell ya that's the first time anybody's pulled a stunt like that, but you can bet it'll be the last!"

Telary looks ashamed, of course, but Azlyn just stands with her arms crossed and shrugs. "That lizard lady had it coming," she defends, sounding absolutely nonplussed about the whole affair, even a little offended. "She was disrupting my coliseum experience."

"You disrupted her _face_!"

Another shrug. "And I'll bet you she won't go shooting her mouth off in a crowded arena ever again!"

Phil prepares another tirade, but the sound of footsteps coming cuts him off. The satyr turns to see Sora walking through the tunnel, a great big smile on his face.

"What's going on, guys?" he asks, the smile becoming more of a smirk. "See any good fights lately?"

"So you won, eh?" Phil asks, though he can already tell the answer.

Sora nods.

"Congratulations Sora!" Telary says, stepping up to clap the Keybearer on the shoulder.

"Seems like we got the whole family, between the three of us!" Azlyn chimes in, exchanging smiles with the conquering hero.

"I saw you take down that purple guy," Sora says.

"It was a girl actually," Azlyn corrects. "I'm pretty sure, anyway."

"Well, that may be one down, but you ain't outta the woods yet," Phil cautions, placing a hand on Sora's knee. "There's still quite a bit of a ways to go! Lotta guys much tougher than some bangaa."

**KH-KH-KH**

Phil's warning turns out true enough, and Sora faces three more rounds of intense challenge against obviously well-trained warriors. In the end however, they can't stand up to the power of the Keyblade and its wielder.

As for Azlyn and Telary, they manage to negotiate a deal with Phil to stay in the arena to watch Sora compete. They just have to sit together on the eliminated competitors' bench just outside the arena. Telary chows down more salted nuts to deal with his nerves, and Azlyn grows more annoyed by the box.

Finally, despite the odds stacked against him and the powerful opponents he faces, Sora finds himself in the final match of the day, and up against a challenger that gives even him pause: Cloud!

"Sora," the blonde warrior whispers to Sora, so quietly the boy almost doesn't hear him over the sound of the crowd and Hermes' grandiose posturing.

"Yeah, Cloud?"

The man extends his fist. After staring at it for a few seconds, surprised at even the slightest display of affection, Sora bumps his own knuckles against it. As Cloud draws his hand away, Sora swears he can see a hint of a smile.

"Good luck, kid."

"You too!"

Off to the side, Telary finishes his box of treats. With no other way to physically manifest his nerves, he takes a deep, calming breath.

"Would you relax?" Azlyn grumbles at him, swinging her feet idly as she waits out the wing-footed announcer's over-the-top diatribe. "This is a real arena match, Tel. No dark powers involved, just like Sora wanted. The worst thing that could happen is some bruising." She stops, looking at Cloud and lightly licking her lips. Telary notices, but doesn't comment. "Or maybe they could, like, accidentally slice each other's shirts off. Then maybe wrestle and roll around a little. If only I could get some oil…"

"So, let's get things started!" Hermes shouts with great fanfare. "And… BEGIN!"

Cloud makes the first move, charging at Sora sword tip first, screaming as an intimidation tactic.

Sora sidesteps, then is forced to do so again almost immediately when Cloud tries the same strategy. He attacks the blond warrior's back, getting in a hit before Cloud whirls on him, striking out with a fist that luckily Sora manages to mostly dodge, the leather of his opponent's glove only grazing against his cheek.

The Keybearer stumbles back, only barely getting his senses together in time to block a swing of Cloud's enormous sword. The warrior puts his full weight behind it, and Sora's feet actually slide a few centimeters back against the stone ground.

"C'mon Sora, you can do better than that!" Azlyn yells somewhat encouragingly from the sidelines. "You've fought monsters that would make this guy wet his pants!" More to herself, she adds, "His tight, tight pants."

Grunting with the effort, Sora turns aside Cloud's blade, takes a step back, and stabs the Keyblade forward, right into his opponent's right pectoral. The blunt end of the weapon doesn't cut, but the hit has enough force behind it to send Cloud's primary sword hand into a fit of pins and needles.

Realizing that he has lost advantage, Cloud backs up. Taking this as a sign of weakness, Sora moves in with a swing that hits Cloud in the thigh, then again in the shoulder with the backswing.

Cloud kicks, but Sora takes a step back to minimize the impact, and ends up sliding only a few feet backwards.

Cloud charges again, but Sora rolls aside and springs up in enough time to knock the man in the side with a flurry of Keyblade hits. He goes to one knee, grunting in pain.

Sora steps forward confidently, laying his Keyblade against the back of Cloud's neck.

"Had enough?" Sora asks with a bit of cockiness. Cloud looks back at him and smirks.

"Y'know, I think I have," he says, only a hint of amusement in his usual deadpan tone. He rises and Sora let the Keyblade slide off his back. Cloud turns to the crowd. "I yield to Sora. He beat me. Fair and square."

"No dark powers involved?" Sora quips with a wink.

Cloud actually smiles. "None at all."

"Ladies and gentlemen, it seems we have a champion!" Hermes calls out exuberantly, drawing a frenzy of joyous noise from spectators on both sides of the arena. He hovers down to Sora, grabs to boy's wrist and holds it up into the air. "Say hello to the winner of the 1st Annual Hercules Cup: Sora!"

The Keybearer feels the rush of the crowd, the roar of their congratulations. Hermes lets go of his wrist but he keeps it up, raising his other fist over his head and pumping his arms victoriously. He actually did it, all by himself!

There's a flash as the shield around the fighting area drops, and Telary and Azlyn charge in, both of them practically jumping on Sora as they reach him, yelling exuberant congratulations so loud and close it actually hurts his ears.

"I expect that munny by the end of the day," Azlyn whispers in his ear. Sora rolls his eyes, but his smile grows even wider.

**KH-KH-KH**

Only a half hour later, just as the sun is beginning to set over the coliseum, Sora is right back in the arena, though this time instead of Cloud, he finds himself facing off against Hercules, superstrong demigod and the world's greatest hero. The crowd is cheering louder than ever, though this time the support seems to be a bit more one-sided, and Sora knows that side isn't his.

"If you want me to go easy on you, Sora, just say the word," Hercules whispers to him with a sly wink as he waves to his adoring crowd. "I won't take a fall or anything, but if you need me to hold back a little…"

Sora shakes his head fiercely. "No way, Herc. If I'm gonna beat you, which I _will_, then I want it all to be fair and square."

"I had hoped you'd say that," Hercules says with an air of admiration as the pleasantries of Hermes' introduction end and both fighters take their starter positions. "This is gonna be fun, Sora!"

Hidden in the shadows of the corridor, Hades smiles. "True that, wonder breath. This is gonna be _very _fun indeed!"

Hermes calls the match to a start, and the competitors begin to square off. On the sidelines, Azlyn notices that Telary doesn't look as nervous as he did during the regular tournament.

"You okay?" she asks her counterpart, cocking her head worriedly. "You don't seem so…"

Telary shrugs, eyes still fixed on the arena, where Sora and Hercules have begun to exchange blow and counterblow. "Those ruffians in the regular rounds I didn't know. I was worried one of them might have less-than-noble intentions, or be on a bad guy's payroll."

"Even Cloud?" Azlyn asks, looking slightly up over Telary's head.

Telary scoffs and crosses his arms archly. "Oh, yes! I know he seemed all redeemed and good and noble and regretful and all that stuff, but I still think that… He's right behind me, isn't he?"

"Well…"

Telary turns and begins a series of babbling apologies and explanations, only to realize that there is in fact no one behind him. He whips back to his counterpart, who is doubled over with raucous laughter.

"Oh man, the look on your _face_!" she cackles, clutching her sides. "That was priceless Telary, seriously!"

The mage looks away, his cheeks burning an embarrassed red.

In the arena proper, Sora's cheeks burn as well, but more out of a sense of pure fatigue than any embarrassment. True, plenty of water and rest between matches, plus a few potions, have kept him in as top shape as possible through the course of the games, but even still the tiredness of constant fighting, all by himself no less, is beginning to wear him down.

He dodges a pair of punches from Hercules, but when he offers a retaliatory swipe of the Keyblade back, the demigod bounds back on his heels to dodge. So far the match has been mostly like that, a constant play of move and countermove that never seems to lead anywhere for either combatant.

Three minutes pass, then four, and suddenly both Sora and Hercules are slowing noticeably, attacks getting sloppier and sloppier on both sides.

This is the moment when Hades strikes.

An explosion of white hot flame suddenly bursts in the middle of Sora and Hercules, the heat and power of it driving them both back.

Everyone in the stands gasps as the flames fade to reveal Hades, Lord of the Underworld.

"Oh man, am I late!" Hades says, looking around at the terrified coliseum patrons with a smug, sardonic smile. "I tell ya, traffic was brutal guys, really it was." He looks from Sora to Hercules, both stunned by the villain's sudden interruption. "Wait a minute, wait a minute, wait a _minute_! Am I interrupting something? Oh dear!"

"Get outta here, Hades!" Phil roars from the sidelines, shaking his fist menacingly. "There ain't no room fer the likes'a you in my coliseum!"

Incredibly, the dark god finds it in him to look hurt by the satyr's words. "The likes of _me_? Why, Philly goat, are you discriminating against me? My goodness, I've never in my immortal life been so mistreated! Well, I guess I'll just have to find some way to work out all this _anger_!"

In a flash, Hades' blue skin darkens into an angry red, his flaming hair taking on an identical hue. Cackling, he creates a fireball from thin air and throws it at Hercules. The hero manages to dodge, and the match is on.

Sora and Hercules attack Hades in tandem, but their moves are slow and wearied still from their bout against each other, and the god manages to sneak around them, firing off attacks left and right.

"We've got to do something!" Telary cries, staff at the ready. Beside him Azlyn rises and nods, clenching her teeth angrily at the sight.

Phil worriedly looks from the arena to the Disney Castle duo. "I know, but with those shields up, there's no way you can get in!"

"So shut them off!" Azlyn yells impatiently, her teeth grinding together with every syllable.

"I can't!" Phil sighs disappointedly. "They're set up to only turn off only when a winner's been decided by the rules of combat!"

Telary studies the four pillars for a second, the gears in his head turning. "Okay, but what if we got rid of them? Would the shield be able to sustain itself?"

Phil shakes his head. "No, it would collapse. But c'mon, kid, those columns are damn thick, you'd need a…"

"Buster sword?" Cloud's smooth voice cuts through the chaotic sounds of flames and battle. The group all turn to see the young man standing before them with his sword resting against his shoulder.

"That could work."

In the arena, Sora cries out as a fireball grazes the skin of his bicep, leaving a burn nearly the size of his fist. He stumbles back, lucky that Hercules is there to distract Hades with a pair of punches. The lord of the Underworld grunts, but with a flick of his flame-covered arm knocks the demigod back.

"Man, if I knew it would be easy to just beat you up myself, I'd have done this _years _ago!" Hades gloats, tossing a few more fireballs to keep his prey on their toes.

Suddenly there's a loud crack. Hades looks over his shoulder to see his old minion Cloud, buster sword still embedded in a half cracked stone column in the arena's down right corner. With a grunt he pulls his weapon back and slams it forward again, collapsing the tower to dust and chunks of stone across the ground.

Azlyn is first through, diving at Hades with a scream of anger. Her shield impacts against his chest, sending the god reeling.

Sora rises and takes advantage, driving three blows into Hades' side.

"Why you little brats!" Hades cries, fire gathering at his fingertips. "I'm gonna burn your asses so bad even your own mothers won't recognize…"

A burst of icy energy flows over his hand, smothering the flame. Hades whirls to see Telary standing with his staff raised. He opens his mouth for a threat, but before he can say anything he gets a face full of Blizzard spell, his flaming hair sputtering into a completely bald head. The angry red of his skin fades once again to icy blue.

"No!" he cries, spitting out slivers of ice. "No, I had him on the ropes, I was finally gonna beat Hercules!"

The demigod in question walks up to Hades and looks him dead in the eye, fist reared back. "You could maybe defeat me alone, Hades. But with my friends around, no chance!"

He lets his fist fly, and Hades goes sailing through the air all the way into the shadows of the concourse, from where he wisely vanishes back to his lair.

**KH-KH-KH**

With everything resolved, the trio, Phil, and Hercules reconvene in the coliseum lobby.

"Sorry we weren't able to finish our match, Sora," Hercules apologizes to the Keybearer, who shrugs it off. "I have to say, though, you were putting up a pretty good fight out there. Who knows what could have happened. After all, you won the tournament all by yourself!"

Sora blushes and looks away until his coloring returns to normal. "Thanks. It means a lot to hear you say that." He looks at his friends, a big smile across his face. "And sure, I did okay on my own. But without Azlyn and Telary by my side, it was a lot harder. I mean, I felt like I was missing a limb out there."

The Disney Castle duo beam back at their friend.

"I never really realized until now just how much I've come to rely on these two," Sora continues, smiling and throwing an arm over each companion's shoulder. "It's been a long hard journey, and I know it isn't over yet, but with these two by my side, I can overcome anything." His eyes drift to the right wall. "I can even make this stone move!"

The Keybearer strides confidently to the stone, places both palms against it, and begins to heave with all his might. Nothing happens, but within moments Azlyn's hands join his, then Telary's. With the combined strength of the trio working together, the enormous block begins to move.

Phil and Hercules' mouths drop open as they watch the trio slowly but steadily push away the stone.

"Look!" Telary notes, looking down at the ground. "It's the Keyhole!"

And indeed it is, nested into the floor of the coliseum lobby. Azlyn and Telary move aside as Sora steps back, the Keyblade bursting into his hand in a flash of light. Instead of pointing the tip at the Keyhole, Sora raises his blade into the air. Light gathers at the tip, and when it's all collected it explodes out again in a solid halo of light. The Keyhole reacts, light energy gathering around its edge. With a strong _click_ the Keyhole seals itself, dissipating completely until there's nothing left on the ground but half of a navigation Gummi, which Telary promptly picks up.

Phil raises an eyebrow at the display. "Two words, kids: What was _that_?"

Sora smiles at the satyr. "It means it's time to move on Phil. We've got lots of heroing to do, y'know."

Phil snorts. "I think you mean _junior_ heroing, squirt."

"What?" Sora complains. "We defeated the God of the Underworld, I learned a valuable lesson about teamwork, and now you're telling us _that _isn't enough to qualify us as True Heroes?"

The satyr gives another shrug. "Ya still got things to learn, kid. Sorry."

Azlyn narrows her eyes. "You're gonna tell us crap like that to keep us hanging forever, aren't you?"

Phil snorts and shakes his head. "Of course not, kid. When you're ready, I'll be the first to tell ya, I promise!" Luckily for the satyr's health, Azlyn misses the sly wink he shoots at Hercules, who smiles fondly at his trainer's antics.

* * *

**I like adding my own unique twist to things, storywise, so when I realized there was an opportunity to clean up the Olympus Coliseum Keyhole loose and create my own little extra story arc, plus add in a few easter eggs for Final Fantasy/Star Wars fans (The Bangaa Bros/Boba Fett, for those who missed it)**

**Originally there was a b-story with Azlyn actin as Sora's manager and trying to get him a merchandising deal with the coliseum, but a) that seemed silly, and b) I just couldn't fit it in.**

**Well next up is, sadly, our last Disney movie based world for this story, but fear not, as after that the plot revelations both created in Kingdom Hearts and specific to my story/characters are gonna come rolling in! Until next time, drop a review if you want to, tell me if this little sidestory was worth the hand cramps I got writing it!**


	28. A Glimpse Behind

Sora wastes no time in recounting the tale of his victory to Jiminy, beginning immediately after Telary finishes the jump to Halloween Town. With only half a Gummi to work with, the next world signature is faint, but just palpable enough for the scanners to pick up, so Telary sets in a course.

Sora leans back in his chair, vaguely aware that Azlyn is chattering something to him about what would have happened if he'd had to face _her _in a coliseum match, but far too tired to say anything back. All the fights and fatigue of the day have finally caught up with him, and he lets himself slip back into the blissful embrace of sleep…

_"Sora…? Sora are you there? Are you listening?"_

_Sora stands on a round stained glass platform in a dark abyss, the only light coming from some unknown but powerful source that seems to shine up through the glass below._

_Sora takes several cautious steps back towards the platform's edge, looking down and trying to find the whole picture._

_The platform is divided into two halves: One, the left half, depicts a golden sea shore at midday, the right a green garden similarly bathed in light. Standing on the sea shore half, laughing and seeming to be having a good time, are he and Riku, smiling at a similarly contented looking Kairi, whose back is right up against the place where the two images divide. Looking down, Sora can see that he and Kairi hold a paopu between them. On the other side are three children, one a redheaded girl in a pink sundress, her back against the divider as well, her pose a mirror image to Kairi._

_Looking closer, Sora can see that the little girl in the garden _is _Kairi, looking as she did at four years old. Sora steps closer to the garden side, managing to tear his eyes away from young Kairi to look at the two children standing behind her, a blonde girl and a boy with hair the same shade as Kairi's. The blonde girl, dressed in blue overalls, only one snap secured, with a white t-shirt underneath, has her arms crossed over her chest, looking pouty, a smudge of what Sora guesses is dirt on her cheek. She appears to be of an age with Kairi, with something about her that Sora can swear he recognizes from somewhere._

_The redhead boy stands closer to Kairi, smiling brightly despite the clearly missing tooth leaving a gap in his mouth. He's dressed in a green t-shirt and yellow shorts, one hand holding Kairi's wrist. He's taller and definitely older than the other two, six as opposed to four, and also looks eerily familiar._

_"It's funny, isn't it?" the voice from before returns, sweet and full of playful kindness. Kairi's voice, Sora realizes!_

_Looking to his left, he sees the girl in question, looking physically every bit the same as she does in the stained glass depiction at the Keybearer's feet, but wearing a larger-sized version of the dress her child self has on. Arms crossed behind her back, she takes long strides up to him, smiling in a way that's fond, yet weighed down by an incredible sadness._

_"It's like there are two parts of me," she says, something dreamily wistful in her every word. "Who I was, and who I am." She stops at Sora's side, staring down at the platform for a few lingering seconds before raising her face to the boy's. "You're bringing them together, though. You're bridging the gap. Every time you get closer, so do I."_

_Sora looks at her, confused by the words. "Every time I get closer to what? Or… closer to who…?" He looks from his sweet friend's face to the children in the garden. "Who are they? I feel like I've seen them before, but I just can't …"_

_Kairi giggles, and Sora raises his gaze back to her. He enjoys seeing her like this, so free and happy. It seems like it's been years since he's seen it. Seen _her_._

_"You never were the brightest," the redhead manages through her giggles. Sora frowns at her, and upon seeing it she ceases her laughter immediately. "Sorry, Sora. I know you're trying. It's just harder for you. But you'll see. You can make the connection." Looking suddenly sad, Kairi begins to back away, each step taking her farther from Sora. "After all," she says with a knowing smile, "you're good at making connections…"_

_Sora reaches after her retreating form, opening and closing his hand as if by some miracle he can grab her from this distance, hoping against hope that maybe…_

Sora's eyes snap open, suddenly jolted awake by a feeling deep in his body, a feeling that resonates with something like warmth all throughout him.

He sits up slowly, all of his senses seeming to come back to him in a rush. He's in the cockpit of the Gummi ship, and at some point the color of the interworld space has changed outside, the calming blue and green replaced by an unruly, swirling mix of red, orange, and yellow.

He hears a loud noise rise then fall, only to be counterpointed by a softer, almost mewling sound. Focusing his vision back into the cockpit, he notices Azlyn, the source of the raging snore, almost curled into a ball in her chair across from him. Craning his neck he can see that Telary, who is emitting the more adorable sound, is slumped in his chair, also fast asleep.

Sora rises from his chair, legs wobbling as they try to adjust to holding up his body once more. He stumbles forward to read the ship's radar display, using both hands to hold himself up over the console.

"No, no," Telary mutters sleepily, his face contorting into a painful expression. Sora cocks his head at the napping mage and watches as he begins to shake. "I wanna stay. I've gotta wait for her! Where did she go…? Gotta… AH!"

The older boy shoots up in his chair, impacting against the steering yoke and sending the ship veering right for a brief second before his hands shoot out nigh automatically and steady the flight.

Azlyn doesn't even react beyond a mild frown.

"Telary?" Sora asks, studying his friend's face from a few different angles. He looks scared, and not just because of the near-mishap with the controls. "Telary are you okay? Did you have a bad dream, 'cause you were kinda talking in your sleep…"

Telary looks back at Sora, puzzled. "Was I? Oh, man that's embarrassing. I haven't done that since I was like six years old. Did I say anything, uh, weird or, like, embarrassing?"

Sora shakes his head, leaning his back against the console. "You seemed scared. You said that you didn't want to go, and you had to wait for 'her'. Any idea who you were talking about?"

Telary shakes his head, frowning. Truth be told, he has no memory at all of any dreams. Still, he senses something odd, like he'd been momentarily connected to something before being cut off completely.

He explains the feeling to Sora, who nods.

"I kinda feel the same way," the Keybearer admits, looking out the viewport once again. "But for me it's more like there's something I just can't put together. I kinda remember a dream, something about Kairi, when we were kids I think… Well, something to do with kids. A garden…"

The boys' contemplation is cut off by Azlyn's awakening. The knight opens her eyes and begins to uncurl from her seat, stretching her limbs wide as she yawns.

Noticing that the pair at the console are staring at her, she frowns back at them. "What's with the looks?"

Sora and Telary exchange a brief look of their own between them, then Sora turns back to explain his and Telary's feelings with her, only to be interrupted by a sudden, loudly blaring alarm!

Telary gasps and reaches out to push Sora away from the radar screen, causing the Keybearer to stumble and fall to the metal floor of the bridge.

"There's something on radar!" the pilot exclaims, sweat gathering on his brow as he grips the steering apparatus with both hands. "It's big and coming in right behind us!"

"Monstro?" Azlyn asks curiously, looking all over the circular glass viewport to try and get a visual on their pursuer.

She sees it coming up from behind and gasps. Sora gets to his feet and rushes to her side just in time to see a wooden hull pass over the viewport. The ship above is so long that it takes nearly ten seconds for all of it to make its way past.

"It's a ship!" the Keybearer cries out as he watches the large galleon pulls out ahead. Gummi blocks are fused to the wood of the stern, providing propulsion through the void. Flying high atop the mast is a swaying skull and crossbones flag, waving at the trio's Gummi almost mockingly.

"It's a _pirate_ ship!" Telary exclaims, gripping the steering controls so hard his knuckles whiten.

"I'll get to the turrets!" Azlyn yells, making her way towards the ladder even as the pirate galleon makes a sharp turn back around, the wooden skull carved at its head closing in on them like a battering ram.

"Too late!" Sora cries out to his companion, fears of being crushed and never seeing Kairi or his home again overwhelming him as it nears. "It's gonna ram us!"

And ram them it does.

* * *

**I know it isn't actually Neverland like I implied, just a little sorta-prologue, but I'm gonna be away from my laptop for most of this weekend, so I decided to just upload this bit to keep you all tided over, which I'm hoping the foreshadowing dream sequence is able to do.**

**Until then, as always, don't hesitate to read and review if you feel like it, and next chapter will be all of the adventures aboard Hook's ship, I promise!**


	29. Believe

The sound of waves greets Sora as he slowly regains his consciousness, reminding him of lazy afternoons napping on the beach. For a moment he feels the phantom tingle of sand beneath his cheek, but it soon fades into the feeling of solid oak, worn away wood scratching his face as he begins to raise his head.

Sora opens his eyes to find himself on the deck of a large galleon, a complex nest of rigging above him, stretching up into the moonlit sky. Looking out a bit, Sora can see that the ship is floating in the midst of a vast ocean, with no land in sight to his right or left. The Gummi ship bobs in the water off to the side, secured to the wooden vessel by thick ropes.

"I guess that ship rammed us," he says groggily to his companions, trying to shake himself loose into a waking state. As his head clears, he takes another look around and realizes that he is alone.

"Telary! Azlyn!" he calls out to his companions, but there is no answer from them.

"It's good to see you're awake Sora," Riku's voice calls down. Looking up, Sora can see him standing a deck above, arms crossed and looking down at the Keybearer with contempt. He's flanked on each side by a Heartless dressed in pirate garb, bandanas bearing the Heartless emblem tied on their heads. They both hold large swords that have sharklike faces painted on them. "Though I see you still only care about your new friends. It's a shame, really, that you seem to have forgotten your _best _friend."

Riku steps aside to reveal Kairi, slumped against the deck's railing, slack-jawed and looking completely unaware of her environment. The sight brings a sudden warmth to Sora's heart, but at the same time, she just looks so weak…

"What's wrong with her?" Sora demands stalwartly. "What did you do to make her like that, huh?"

He steps forward, but finds his way blocked by a newly arrived trio of Heartless hopping down to his deck and menacingly brandishing swords at him. He summons the Keyblade, but takes a cautious step back, eyeing the new opponents warily.

A tall man in a red coat steps up next to Riku, the white feather in his large-brimmed red hat blowing breezily in the wind. In place of his left hand, a silver hook gleams in the moonlight.

"I'm afraid that your brand of heroic shenanigans will _not _be permitted aboard my vessel, boy," the man says, his only hand twirling the thin mustache he wears. "This is Captain James Hook's vessel, the _Jolly Roger_, and I'll not have ye messing about while you're aboard."

"Would you just be quiet and let me deal with this?" Riku barks, sending Hook back a startled step. As soon as he's calmed, the red-garbed man fixes the boy with a scowl.

"What are you _doing_ Riku?" Sora calls up to his friend, trying his best to appeal to the person he knows Riku is. "The Heartless are dangerous…"

Riku laughs aloud, the sound arrogant with hints of the maniacal. "The Heartless hold no danger for me, Sora. They are _mine _to command!"

Sora stares up at Riku, slack-jawed, running through responses to such a statement. "You're so _stupid_ Riku!" he finally settles on. "The Heartless will only swallow your heart. I know you think you're so untouchable now, but…"

"My heart is strong, Sora!" Riku declares, his fist clenching so hard the black leather of his glove squeaks. "I have power now, power you couldn't imagine!" He smirks cannily. "Here, I'll give you a demonstration."

Riku flicks his hand, and Sora's own shadow leaps straight up out of the ground, a perfect clone of the boy all in black floating before him. Startled, the Keybearer stumbles back, feeling his ankle trip some sort of thin wire…

A trapdoor opens beneath him, and with a pained yell he falls into it, down into the depths of the ship.

Riku stares at the still open door for a moment, the look of triumph on his face briefly battling with something else. He turns to Hook with a sneer. "Let's prepare to get underway captain, I have places to be." He looks down at Kairi. "We both do. And remember, Sora doesn't get anywhere near Kairi!"

He turns and fondly picks the girl up, gathering her into his arms bridal style. Noticing some hair has fallen into her face, he brushes it aside tenderly. The comatose girl doesn't even react to the touch.

Hook watches the boy go, scowling deeply.

"Are you alright, Cap'n?" asks the nasally voice of Smee, Hook's short, round first mate. The captain turns to the little man, still scowling.

"It boils me blood, Smee, taking orders from that lubber!" he rages, making sure that he's quiet enough so that the boy can't hear. "Never sailed a day in his life, I'd wager, and he thinks he can just order a seasoned captain like meself around? It's sheer madness, Smee!"

Hook's lieutenant looks confused. "Why bother to put up with him, Cap'n? Surely you could…"

"Oh, one-to-one I'd have the whelp for breakfast I would, stake me life on it! But with those confounded Heartless…"

"What should we do about the prisoner then?"

Hook shrugs. "Nothing. One good thing about having the Heartless crawling around belowdecks is that we don't have to do any guarding ourselves. Even with the Keyblade, certainly the boy would…"

Smee frowns at the captain. "But what about Pan, Cap'n? If he makes an alliance with the Keybearer…"

Suddenly Hook holds up his hook, cutting off his number two's rambling. His hand he raises to his ear, cupping the lobe with it. He looks left to right suspiciously.

"Did you hear that Smee? That _awful _ticking?"

Smee looks up at the captain in bewilderment. "Uh, afraid not, Cap'n. Just reg'lar ships noises, sir."

Hook shakes his head to clear it, his long black hair swishing back and forth in the night air. He pinches his temples and sighs. "Oh, and now I'm imagining things! My poor nerves, Smee, they just might not survive this voyage! Oh, whatever have I gotten myself _into_?"

**Neverland**

"It was her alright," Sora confirms with a nod, trying to focus on the positives of seeing Kairi again as opposed to the negatives. Weirdly enough, he finds that it isn't hard. "I finally found Kairi for real!"

"That's amazing Sora," Telary congratulates the boy, his voice a bit strained. "I knew you could do it! Now we've just got to go talk to her!"

"And hey, if we have to knock that Riku prick around a little to get to her, well that's just a bonus," Azlyn chimes in, a vengeful smirk playing across her lips. "Of course, there is_ one _problem."

"What's that?" Sora asks, looking down at the knight.

"I can't go anywhere with you two on top of me!"

The trio are indeed all in a heap on the floor, the Disney Castle duo having had the unfortunate luck to be standing directly under the trapdoor deposit set into the roof above.

They all get themselves sorted out quickly enough, and Telary steps to the door, since he's the only one tall enough to see through the thin slot in it. The hall outside looks empty.

"So, you're stuck in here too, huh?" a new, mischievous sounding voice says, startling Telary so bad he bumps his head into the door. Whirling around, the trio sees a young man who looks no older than thirteen, dressed in a green tunic and tights. Red hair sticks out from under a green hat. Telary also notes the small dagger sheathed at the boy's waist. "Ran afoul of ol' Cap'n Codfish Hook, didn't you?"

Sora nods. "Yeah."

"Who are you?" Azlyn asks, eyeing the boy with the same suspicion she casts on most strangers.

The boy grins, an expression so natural he seems born to wear it. "Why, I'm the answer to your prayers! Peter Pan's the name!"

"Hello, I'm Telary," Telary says, presenting his hand for a handshake. Peter eyes it skeptically. "Never mind, then," Telary mutters apologetically as he draws his hand back.

"I'm Sora, and this is…"

"Azlyn," the knight interrupts, tired of other people making her introductions.

"Uh, hi I guess," Peter says by way of greeting. "I'm just waiting in here until my friend comes along to help me out. Shouldn't be a minute."

Sora turns to try and see through the slit, only to be surprised when seconds later a tiny glowing ball of light races through it, leaving sparkles in its wake. Some fall on the Keybearer's shoulder, and he brushes them off.

The light dances and darts around the room for a few seconds before stopping in front of Peter and resolving itself into the shape of a blonde girl only a few inches high. Silvery wings emerge from the back of her green dress, flitting as fast as a hummingbird in heat. Sparkles continue to fall from her wings to the floor.

"Hey, Tinker Bell, did ya find Wendy?" Peter asks. The girl shakes in response, making a light tinkling sound as she does so. It sounds like so much noise to Sora, but Peter seems to understand it. "What's this about another girl?"

"Kairi?" Sora blurts out, elbowing past Azlyn. "Was the other girl named Kairi?"

_Tink tink, tink tinkle._

"She says she doesn't know," Peter translates. His face hardens into a resolved expression. "Either way, I've gotta save Wendy!"

Tinker Bell goes into overdrive, filling the room with a noise like sleigh bells falling down a staircase. The four humans cover their ears.

"Sounds like she's jealous!" Azlyn yells to Telary over the noise. This doesn't make Tinker Bell happy, and the tiny girl stops her rant on a dime and flies at the knight, delivering a tiny but substantial kick to the face. "Ow! You little…!"

Azlyn lunges forward, but as usual Telary stretches out an arm to hold her back. It's quickly becoming his most well-honed reflex.

"Are you gonna get us outta here or not, Tink?" Peter demands of his miniature companion, looking at her sternly. Tink just stomps her foot at turns away, facing the wall. Peter sighs. "Well, I guess we won't be getting out of here anytime soon. Not until Tink calms down anyway."

Sora shakes his head, calling the Keyblade to his hand in a flash of light. If he's going to help Kairi, then he can't waste time sitting around for a fairy to make up her jealous mind. He taps the blade against the door, and it slides open with a creak.

Peter looks impressed. "Nice job. I assume you want something from me now?"

Sora shrugs. "I could use your help finding my way around. If you've fought that captain before, you have to know where things are on his ship."

Peter nods, though he seems begrudged by the whole affair. "Fine, I'll help you out, but only until I find Wendy. After that we're getting outta here, and you'll be on your own!"

Sora agrees, though Azlyn makes sure to give Pan the Eye. The group moves out into a small area, a ladder propped against one wall leading to a higher ledge.

Not ten seconds after exiting their makeshift prison, a group of the Pirate Heartless appear from behind a few barrels, swinging their swords at the party.

Sora blocks a sword, turning the blade aside with a flick of his wrist. He strikes out, but the Heartless counters before he can land his hit.

"Cuckoo cacacaw!" Peter exclaims from somewhere above. To Sora's awe, the boy descends from the sky, stabbing his knife in and out. He rakes the blade into the Heartless's flesh probably five times in the span of two seconds, then flies off to slash another across the back of its head, distracting the humanoid creature long enough for Telary to incinerate it with a burst of fire.

With the trio on the ground and Peter working from the air, the Heartless clear out in no time at all.

"Man, those guys give me the creeps!" Peter declares, lacing his fingers behind his neck and actually leaning back to recline in midair.

"You're flying!" Telary points out rather obviously, fascinated to learn the mechanics of it. "And you don't have wings or anything, you're just…"

"Floating around like a freak," Azlyn mutters.

Pan shrugs and returns to an upright position. "Anybody can fly," he says like it's the most obvious statement in the universe. "All you really need is some pixie dust, and up up and away you go!"

"Could, uh, we have some?" Sora asks, thinking on how much easier it will be to rescue Kairi if he can just fly to her.

"If it isn't too much trouble," Telary says.

"And if it doesn't cost anything," Azlyn mutters, still suspicious of the boy in green.

Peter laughs at the suggestion that pixie dust could be considered worth anything as low as _munny_. "No, no, it's on the house. Tinker Bell naturally generates it, in fact. Oh, Tink!"

The tiny fairy emerges from the room, still looking upset about this whole affair. She stops before Peter and tinkles a question.

"We're gonna give these guys some pixie dust," Pan explains, causing a consternated tinkle to rise up from his diminutive companion. The boy rolls his eyes and floats over to whisper something in the girl's ear. She looks at him as a smile spreads slowly across her face.

The pixie flies a few laps over the awaiting trio, making sure that everyone gets an even coating of pixie dust. Once satisfied, she moves to float next to Peter, looking at the three of them with barely concealed amusement.

"Okay," Peter says with a wink. "Go ahead and try it out!"

All three look at each other, excitement painted across each face. Looking up to the sky, the trio jumps as one, floating in the air for a split second before crashing down to the hard floor, sending a loud _boom_ reverberating all throughout the deck.

Peter Pan reels backwards through the air, clutching his shaking belly as he and Tinker Bell share a good long laugh at the success of their prank.

"Oh man," Pan chokes out amongst the guffaws. "You should've seen the looks on your faces when you thought you had it! What a riot!"

"I am _so_ gonna get you, you flying bastard," Azlyn mumbles into the floorboards.

"Okay, c'mon, let's get a move on!" Pan barks, floating up like nothing had just happened. "If we wanna save Wendy, we'll have to be quick about it."

Sora nearly says something uncharitable as he rises, but then he realizes that finding this Wendy girl will also mean finding Kairi. With that in mind, he keeps his mouth shut and helps Telary to his feet.

**KH-KH-KH**

"You surely can't be serious!" Hook exclaims, rubbing at his forehead with his lone hand.

Riku gives him an impassive look, one eyebrow raised ever so slightly. "Of course I'm kidding," he says with a thick helping of sarcasm overlaying every word. "After all, in the short time we've been acquainted, I'm sure you've become well aware of my tendency to make jokes."

Hook turns away from the boy. They're in his private captain's quarters, a large room coated in red carpet. His bed sits in one corner, his private desk in the middle of the room and a baby grand piano near the aft window. All three external walls are well-appointed with windows, giving a grand view of the moonlit sea. It's all designed for the singular purpose of giving Hook a place to feel powerful.

This conversation is making him feel decidedly less so.

"There's no need for such ungentlemanly disdain, young master Riku," Hook says to the boy once he's composed himself.

"Trust me, there is."

Hook rubs his temples again, something he's found himself doing so often lately the skin is nearly raw.

"Look, everything between the two of us aside, I'm only telling you the truth," Riku offers, showing more sincerity than Hook thinks he's ever heard from the boy. "This Wendy girl isn't one of the seven that Maleficent needs. If you think I'm being hostile, just think of what _she'll_ do if you hand her a dud."

"But we spent so much time capturing her!" the captain growls, waving his hook through the air in a rage. "Such a waste."

Riku fixes the one-handed pirate with another smirk. "Are you really that concerned about wasted time, or are you just pissed because this brought the flying kid down on your butt?"

Hook declines to answer that point. "I begin to tire of this secret master plan Maleficent assures me is so important. Do _you_ even know its full extent?"

Riku shrugs coolly, though he also looks away from the captain's face. "I'll admit that I don't, but if it helps to restore Kairi's heart, then…"

Hook's cruel, mocking laugh cuts the boy off. Riku's gaze whips back to the suddenly so mirthful pirate, scowling deeper than an ocean trench.

"Oh, her heart is lost for certain lad," Hook declares, shaking his head. "If the Heartless have gotten anywhere near it, then I'll stake me other hand that…"

The pirate doesn't get the chance to finish that sentence, as he becomes suddenly distracted by Riku's foot in his midsection. With a puff of expelled air, the pirate sinks to the floor. He feels a sudden cold sensation across his wrist, and looking down he sees that the boy's damned sword is positioned just over it.

"Really. You'd bet the one hand some eternal eleven year old mercifully decided to let you keep? Do you really want to make that bet against me?" The boy's blue eyes are cold as the meat locker belowdecks, yet still they seem to burn just under the surface. "Because if you do, if you'd prefer to stumble through your miserable everlasting life with _two _hooks instead of just one, then feel free to mock me or make light of Kairi's situation again. I dare you."

Hook opens his mouth, but no words come out.

"Do you understand?"

The pirate nods shakily.

Riku lifts his sword and steps back, giving the captain a mock-cheerful smile. "I'm glad we came to this understanding. Now get ready to weigh anchor, and leave all the dead weight behind. That includes the Wendy girl, alright?"

He walks away, and Hook slowly rises, still wary of the boy.

"Ahem, Cap'n?" comes the tinny voice of Smee through a pipe on the wall, part of the ship's internal communications network. Maleficent had offered to upgrade to system like she had with the Gummi blocks attached to the ship for interworld flight, but Hook had refused. New technology may make things a bit easier, but part of being a pirate is respecting tradition.

"Yes, what is it Smee?" Hook asks, careful to purge all traces of leftover fear from his voice. It's important for a captain to sound commanding, after all.

"Um, I'm sorry to report that the prisoners have escaped!" Smee declares nervously, something in his voice suggesting a flinch. "And what's more, Peter Pan is with them!"

"Blast that Peter Pan!" Hook rages, shaking his hook in the air. "The scurvy brat has…"

"There's, uh, a bit more bad news I'm afraid, captain."

Out of the corner of his eye Hook can see Riku watching from the seat underneath the port window, looking annoyed.

"The Wendy girl has locked herself in one of the crew cabins, you see," Smee says, his voice shaking fearfully. "We think she's barricaded the door."

"Is Kairi with her?" Riku yells, crossing the room to the communications tube in a half-second.

"I'm afraid so, young master Riku."

The boy throws back his fist, actually making a dent in the solid wood of the nearest wall. He pulls it close, sawdust falling from his glove. He whirls on Hook, who backs up so quickly he stumbles back onto his bed.

"Look what your incompetence has cost us!" the young man rages. Hook says nothing, just shakes. With a heavy sigh Riku turns back to the comm. "I'll be there in a minute. I knew letting Kairi out of my sight was a bad idea!"

**KH-KH-KH**

Cautiously, Sora enters into a large room with a wood-burning stove up against wall, various bags of raw ingredients surrounding it. The kitchen, he presumes.

"I don't think this is the way out," he sighs, looking back to his companions in the hall. Suddenly, though, a loud banging arises from somewhere in the room.

"Help us, please!" a small voice calls out. The other three pile in, looking around curiously. "Oh, Peter Pan! Peter it's me, Wendy! By the grate!"

"Wendy!" Pan exclaims, flying up to the ceiling, where a metal grate is all that separates him and the young girl the next deck up. She looks young to Sora's eyes, a blue ribbon expertly tied up in her curly hair.

"Oh, Peter!" Wendy cries with delight, smiling down at the flying boy. "I've been having the most dreadful time since we parted. Some woman with green skin examined me like I was some sort of steer!"

"Maleficent," Azlyn notes to Telary, who nods. Just what is the witch's obsession with young women?

"Well don't you worry," Pan assures her, "I'll be up there just as soon as I can to get you out of here, okay?"

"Wendy," Sora interjects, stepping up so the girl can see him through the grate. "Is there another girl up there with you? A red-haired girl?"

Wendy nods, then rises and takes a few steps away. When she comes back, Kairi's still unmoving form is pressed against her.

"Kairi…" Sora breathes.

"I'm afraid she seems to be quite asleep," Wendy says, frowning at the girl. "She hasn't budged an inch. I had to practically drag her in here with me when I escaped."

Sora barely hears Wendy's words, too focused on Kairi. Even in this odd state, she's just as lovely as he remembers. To be so close and yet unable to truly be with her is akin to torture, and he futilely reaches for her.

For a moment nothing happens. Then, quite suddenly, her arm twitches. It isn't much, barely an inch of movement, but it assures Sora that despite appearances, his friend is very much still alive. He smiles, overjoyed at the thought that there's still hope.

The joy evaporates quickly as the sound of something large falling over and a door being forced open is heard above. Wendy looks up and screams as a Pirate Heartless grabs her arm and drags her away from the grate, Kairi dropping against it limply.

Riku arrives then and picks the girl up, propping her up with his left side, his arm protectively wrapped around her waist.

His former friend sneers down at Sora through the grate. Without a word, he walks away.

"No, Kairi!" the Keybearer yells.

"Wendy!" Pan cries out in anguish simultaneously, banging on the grate futilely. "We have to get up there!"

"Stand back!" Telary commands. Pan floats back, and the mage raises his staff as fire gathers at its tip. With a loud _whoosh_ the flame hits the grate, the heat warping and melting it until there's enough of a hole to climb or fly through.

Peter shoots up through the grate like a rocket, still calling Wendy's name.

"And you just leave us hanging like that?" Azlyn yells up after the red-haired boy, shaking her fist at empty air.

"C'mon, Sora," Telary says, sheathing his staff and forming a stirrup with his hands. "I'll help you get up there so you can save Kairi."

"But what about you guys?" Sora asks concernedly. "There are still Heartless all over this place, and…"

"Nevermind us, Sora!" Azlyn encourages the boy, pushing him towards her counterpart. "We'll find our way up there as fast as we can. When we meet up you can introduce us to Kairi properly, alright?"

Sora looks into the knight's eyes and smiles at the compassion he sees there. He turns to Telary and sees much the same thing. He truly is lucky to have these two as his friends and partners.

With a nod, he places his foot in Telary's hands, feeling the mage strain to lift him high enough to grip the vent.

The metal is still hot where Telary's spell burned it away, but Sora ignores the discomfort and hauls himself up, finding himself in a small cabin with two hammocks against a wall. A large bureau, obviously what Wendy had been using to bar the door, lays on the floor, its sides cracked from impact.

The Keybearer spares a moment to look down through the grate, sees Telary wave at him jauntily before taking off. There's some sounds of discussion between the pair below, then the unmistakable noise of a door closing.

Sora races for the door, finding himself in a short hallway much like the one a deck below. He notices immediately a short staircase leading up to a red door with a white skull and crossbones across it, slightly open. He rushes to it, deducing that it must be where Peter followed Riku to.

He slams into the door so hard he hears it hit the wall, the loud noise echoing through the ornately decorated room.

Sora races into the room, Keyblade drawn, to find Wendy ad Peter Pan tied up with thick ropes, a pair of Heartless guarding them. In front of them stands Riku, holding Kairi bridal style. He fixes Sora with a smirk.

"I gotta hand it to you, Sora, you're showing a lot more determination to get to Kairi than you did before," the older boy taunts. "I guess it's just because now _I _have what you want, eh?"

Sora scowls at his erstwhile friend, gripping the Keyblade's hilt so tightly his gloves squeak against the metal. "All I want is for Kairi to be safe. If I thought that she would be safe with you, I'd let you take her with no fuss." He drops into his fighting stance. "But the fact is, I _don't_ trust you to take care of Kairi anymore. So let her and the others go!"

The look in Riku's eyes is one of pure scorn, a hatred Sora never thought it would be possible to see on his face. "You act like you're so high and mighty, Sora, so noble! But trust me, you're not all that. You've got a dark side too." He takes a step back, a black puddle forming where he'd just stood. "Wanna see it?"

The puddle springs forth from the ground and solidifies into a pure shadow clone of Sora, black all over with beady yellow eyes. A kind of AntiSora, complete with a shadow Keyblade. It drops into an exact copy of Sora's stance.

"Now place nice with yourself Sora," Riku mocks, a purple and black portal opening behind him. He grunts a bit, though for what reason Sora doesn't know, then sort of stumbles backwards into his portal, Kairi still in his arms. They both disappear.

The AntiSora attacks, lashing his Keyblade out in a wide arc that's the very picture of Sora's style. The real Sora stumbles back, then steps forward for a downward swing, but AntiSora blocks.

AntiSora turns Sora's blade aside and lets out a swipe of its own, but Sora knows how to best block it, offering back a counterstrike that is similarly rebuffed.

The battle continues on for some time in a stalemate, and now Sora feels he truly knows the meaning of the word. The matched pair dance across the cabin on fleet feet, always seeming to know where and how the other is going to strike.

Sora tries everything to throw his shadowy opponent off, tries knocking down furniture and making deft moves up and down the bed, but nothing seems to work. Everywhere he goes, AntiSora is already there, and vice versa.

Unfortunately, his own tactics seem to come around to bite him on the butt, as now _he _must also be careful where he steps, lest he give the shadowy imitation any advantage.

He can't keep it up indefinitely though, as it seems the one thing AntiSora can't do that Sora can is run out of steam. As his muscles become wearier, his arms feel heavier and his reaction time slows.

He takes the brunt of a blow from the evil Keyblade's blunt shaft in the side, expelling a puff of air and stumbling back, whereupon he trips over an overturned chair and falls.

He lands with a heavy _thud_ against the red carpet, looking up at the shadowy version of himself as it takes a step forward, raising its Keyblade.

Sora refuses to look away, determined to meet his fate head on. He laments not being able to rescue Kairi, or helping Riku become his old self again, but at the same time he can't help but trust that Azlyn and Telary will manage to sort everything out.

Suddenly a bolt of lightning flashes in the air above AntiSora, bringing down approximately one thousand volts on the creature's head. Thoroughly distracted, it whips its head around, and Sora follows the movement, seeing Telary standing in the now open doorway, staff outstretched.

The mage moves aside quickly as Azlyn rushes into the room, arms pumping as her legs carry her towards AntiSora. Unleashing a primal yell, like a mother protecting her young, Azlyn propels herself off the floor and through the air foot first, crashing into AntiSora head on and sending the shadowy apparition flying through the air and straight into the aft window.

There's a loud _crash_ of shattering glass and then AntiSora is gone, fallen into the deep waters. It immediately splashes up above the water, drawing on Sora's skills and instinct to keep its head up.

A temporary setback, it thinks in its primitive but functional mind. AntiSora doesn't even need to breathe, and in moments it can easily climb back onboard and…

_Tick Tock Tick Tock Tick Tock…_

AntiSora whips its head around, trying to locate the source of that strange noise. Before it can, however, _it_ is the one that gets located, strong jaws full of razor sharp teeth chomping the shadow into bits.

Back up in the cabin, Sora dismisses his weapon and runs to his friends, scooping Azlyn up in a grateful embrace. Telary takes a few steps closer and finds himself drawn in as well.

"Thank you guys!" Sora says earnestly.

"Well, right place, right time, you know how it goes," Telary replies, shrugging as much as he can while locked in the tight embrace.

"Uh, excuse me?" Peter Pan chimes in from the corner, where he and Wendy are still tied up.

"Sorry," Sora apologizes. He and Telary quickly untie the pair's bonds.

Pan leaps up into the air and hovers, shaking out his limbs.

"Thank you ever so much, Sora, Azlyn, Telary," she says with a little curtsy that for a split second brings Alice to the forefront of Sora's mind. If only he'd been able to do for her what he did for Wendy…

The young girl gives Peter Pan a stern look and a prompting nod.

The boy in green sighs. "Yeah, thanks for your help," he manages to get out without it sounding _too _forced. "But I gotta get Wendy to safety now. That was our deal, remember?"

Sora nods.

"Before I go though, Sora…" Pan says conspiratorially, touching down next to the Keybearer and taking the boy's shoulder under one arm. He leans in to whisper directly into the ear. "The reason the pixie dust didn't make you fly when I sprinkled ya was that it's not enough on its own. Ya gotta think happy thoughts too. Any happy little thought'll do. Got it?"

Sora nods, stowing the knowledge away for later. He really does want to give this flying thing a try.

Pan separates himself from Sora and reaches out a hand to Wendy. With a little giggle, the girl takes it, stepping into Peter's arms. When the red-haired miscreant lifts off this time, he carries the girl up with him.

"So long everyone, and thank you all once again," Wendy says. Peter Pan just nods and takes off through the hole in the broken window, rising into the moonlit sky until he vanishes.

"What a little brat," Azlyn comments with a disdainful sniff. Turning to Sora curiously, she asks, "So, what did he whisper to you there? Where to find hidden treasure?"

Sora shrugs and smiles. "Kinda. Y'see, what he told me was…"

The boy doesn't get the chance to finish, as the door flies open, letting in a breeze from the open air on the outside deck and a quartet of Pirate Heartless waving their swords threateningly.

Captain Hook and Smee follow them in, the pudgy first mate holding a lantern, within which glows a brilliant yellow light. Hook wears an expression of sheer pride.

"So rude of that boy Riku, running off without even so much as a by-your-leave," the captain says with an air of scolding. "But, at least it leaves me ship as me own once again, eh. And once I get rid of you three, it'll be brat free as well!"

"Where did Riku go?" Sora demands, swinging the Keyblade like he means business. "Where did he take Kairi?"

"Why, to Hollow Bastion," Hook reveals. "That's where Maleficent has been plotting this whole scheme from. Afraid to get her green hands dirty, I'm sure. Unlike meself."

"Don't you mean get your _hand_ dirty?" Azlyn asks with a mocking nod to the pirate's hook.

Hook shrugs. "I suppose I do, lass. And to demonstrate just _how_ dirty…" The pirate steps aside with a flourish as Smee holds up the lantern, revealing that the light inside is coming off a distraught looking Tinker Bell, who bangs her tiny fists against the glass uselessly.

The pirate smirks as the trio stand down from battle stances. "What do we have to do so you'll let her go?" Sora asks wearily.

The pirate's smirk grows into an all-out smile, teeth and all. "Hand over the Keyblade, and I'll let her go. Otherwise…" He nods, and suddenly the Heartless close in tighter, one reaching out to collect Azlyn and Telary's weapons. With forceful shoves they push the trio out onto the open deck, where Hook has prepared a long plank of wood stretching out into the empty ocean.

"Walking the plank?" Azlyn comments snarkily, one eyebrow mockingly raised. "You really embrace the cliché, don't you?"

Hook gives a bow. "What can I say, I'm a sucker for tradition. Now, what is it going to be, boy? The Keyblade or the plank?"

_Tick Tock Tick Tock Tick Tock_

"AAAHH!" Hook screams in pure anguish, peevishly peering over the ship's rail into the water. Below he finds the crocodile that ate his hand, its green head rising just above the water to peer at the pirate. "It's that blasted croc! Oh, I can't stand the sight of him!" The captain turns to his first mate, throwing Tink's lantern into his arms. "See to it that they go in the drink, Smee. I've suddenly remembered some business I must attend to in my cabin!" With one last cautious glimpse of the waiting crocodile, Hook flees.

"Well, at least I'll die having seen that," Azlyn deadpans, watching amusedly as Hook slams his cabin door shut.

"Um, alright, who'll be first to walk?" Smee asks, not quite sounding as threatening as the situation may seem to warrant.

Sora steps forward, allowing a Heartless to lead him to the end of the long wooden plank. Looking over his shoulder, he can see the crocodile waiting below, looking at Sora like a gift from the gods themselves.

The Keybearer closes his eyes and remembers Peter Pan's words on flying. Happy thoughts, that shouldn't be too hard.

_He's back on the island, of course, on a bright day, the sun shining down on the beach. Clad only in his favorite trunks, the boy laughs and splashes as he plays with his best friends in the shallow water._

_It's not a memory, though, as Telary and Azlyn frolic and play with him, Kairi, and Riku, testing out the new waters for the first time. It's a fantasy, a glimpse of the life he'd like to have once this mess is dealt with and things return to normal._

_A new normal, Sora thinks. He could get used to that._

Sora smiles at the thought of all his best friends gathered in one place, sharing in the sand and sun. It's the happiest thought he can think of, and with that in mind, he takes a deep breath and vaults backwards into the open air.

"Sora, no!" Telary cries out, struggling against a Heartless.

But the mage's concerns are unfounded, for Sora rises into the air at the last second before the croc snaps shut its mighty maw, buoyed by pixie dust and happy thoughts.

"You can fly!" Azlyn blurts out, a bit obviously.

"You can fly?" Telary repeats. Sora grins down at them.

"I can fly!" he calls out, turning a flip in midair for fun. "And you guys can too. All you've got to do is think happy thoughts!"

"Oh my!" Smee exclaims, stumbling back clumsily as he faces the shock and fear of the tables turning.

The reversal isn't over yet, either, as Peter Pan suddenly dive-bombs from the sky, snatching Tinker Bell's prison. With a fierce grin he lands on deck and pries open the lantern, freeing his fairy friend, who responds with a flurry of happy chiming and dancing.

"Pan?" Azlyn exclaims, knocking a Pirate Heartless overboard and bending down to scoop up her and Telary's confiscated weapons. "I thought you'd flown the coop!"

Peter actually has the gall to look offended by the accusation. "You didn't think I'd just leave you and Tink behind, did ya?"

"Uh, yeah I did!" the knight rages, slicing a Heartless in two with her shield. Beside her, Telary raises his staff and calls down crushing gravity on the remaining Heartless.

"But you guys helped me rescue Wendy," Pan explains, as if the trio are the stupid ones for not picking up on it immediately. "That makes us friends. And I'd never leave a friend behind!"

Azlyn sighs. "I guess you're all right, Pan."

Peter nods graciously. "You too, Azlyn. Now, about that ol' codfish Hook…" /

**KH-KH-KH**

"Um, Cap'n?" Smee's nervous voice sounds through the door. "Cap'n, hello…"

Hook slowly rises from his bed, where he's been covering his head with a pillow for the better part of the last few minutes. Cautiously, he walks to the door.

"Yes, Smee?" he asks, evidence of his earlier rattling still evident in his voice. "Did you feed them to that dreadful croc, Smee? Is he gone?"

"Oh yes, Cap'n," Smee replies affirmatively, calming the pirate's addled nerves. "They all walked the plank, every last one of them! Must have been a plenty good meal for that croc too, 'cause he flew the coop the minute he'd ate the last."

Hook sighs and opens the door, striding out confidently, like he hadn't even been bothered by the situation of the past few minutes. But when he surveys the deck, he finds no one there, not even a Heartless. What manner of devilment is this…?

A sharp pain ignites in his rump, and the pirate launches himself nearly three feet in the air. He lands and whips around to see that blasted Peter Pan, still holding the knife that must have pricked Hook's bottom.

"P-P-Pan!" he stutters, trying to regain his composure. Within moments his confusion turns to rage. He draws his sword and sneers at his opponents. "Blast you!"

"I think it's your turn to walk the plank, you old codfish!" Peter declares, rising into the air and readying his knife for combat.

Hook hears the other three miscreants creeping up behind him, no doubt with weapons already drawn. He fixes Peter Pan with a dark look and waves his hook about in the air.

"Heartless, come out!" he yells, summoning three Heartless that look like smaller versions of Hook's ship, the Heartless emblem displayed broadly across their grey sails. A small navigator wearing a blue admiral's jacket and black tricorner hat sits in the ship with the wheel in both hands. On each side rests a deadly looking cannon.

"We'll take care of these guys, Peter!" Sora says as he and his companions rise into the air, charging for the Heartless Battleships with weapons swinging.

Peter lunges for Hook, who manages to get his rapier up in time to block the strike. The duel between the two mortal enemies is on!

Azlyn ducks under a blast from her opponent's cannon, rising up and slamming her shield into its side, sending it careening through the air. It turns deftly and flies straight for her, and she barely manages to dodge in time.

Telary shoots down a Gravity spell on his Heartless, cracking the mast and sail and sending it tumbling downwards. He dives through the air to pursue, but has to move off as it fires off a cannon blast towards him. He twists to the left, aims, and fires a blizzard spell back, clogging up the cannon on one side. With a defiant yell, he charges forward and beats the little "captain" hard with his staff, sending the creature back to oblivion.

Sora cuts straight through his ship's "captain", having already used the Keyblade to disable both cannons and the main mast. Azlyn grabs her opponent by the bow and slams it down on the deck of the _Jolly Roger_, destroying it.

Hook and Pan, meanwhile, have taken their duel to the high yardarm of the main mast, Hook's admittedly masterful swordsmanship and fleet footwork struggling to keep up with Peter Pan's fast and dirty flying tactics.

Finally, the pirate captain commits too hard to a lunge, and it's an easy matter for Pan to dodge the blow and strike another prick into Hook's rump. The old pirate screams and jump high into the air, plummeting down into the water below.

He emerges, sputtering, his hat floating beside him, the white feather fixed in its brim drooping under the water weight.

"Blast you, Peter Pan!" Hook yells up at the boy, who has gathered to hover with Sora, Azlyn, and Telary to watch the pirate sputter. "I'll make you pay for this, and your little lackeys as well, if it's the last thing I…"

_Tick Tock Tick Tock Tick Tock_

Immediately recognizing the sound that has been the subject of many a nightmare, Hook turns to see the croc that ate his hand slowly paddling through the water, wearing a sly grin.

"YAAAAAAAAAARGH!" Hook screams, leaping up and taking off over the water, running and leaping so fast in his fear that at times he seems to be walking on the water itself. All the while the crocodile pursues, hopes of finally finishing its most delicious meal filling its head.

Telary watches Sora drift back down to the main deck, leaning over the railing and looking up at the hanging crescent moon above with an odd, undecipherable look on his face. Something about it worries the mage.

"What's up with Sora?" Azlyn whispers to him. Telary raises a surprised eyebrow, a bit shocked that Azlyn could pick up on their companion's emotional nuance.

"Well, I'd imagine he's thinking about Kairi," Telary replies, picturing the comatose girl in his mind's eye. It seems so sad, what's happened to her, and part of Telary can't help but take it personally. "I mean, I'm not an expert on this or anything, but judging by how unresponsive she was, well…"

"You think she may have really lost her heart."

The mage shrugs. "Like I said, I can't be sure of anything, really."

"Um, hey Sora," Peter says as he touches down next to the Keybearer, trying to remember all the lessons Wendy has taught him about understanding others and playing nicely. "Are you…?"

"I can't believe it," the boy says dreamily, a small smile slowly creeping over his face. "I just can't… I mean, I flew! I actually flew!" He turns back and fixes his friends with a broad grin. "Wait until I tell Kairi! I mean, she won't believe a word of it! And not just flying, I mean the pirates, winning at the coliseum, mermaids… Heck if I hadn't been there I'm not sure _I'd _believe me!"

"Oh, I definitely wouldn't," Azlyn chimes in, earning a glare from Telary. "What? I _wouldn't_!"

"You can bring Kairi to Neverland anytime, Sora," Peter offers earnestly. "She can try out flying then too! And, well I dunno what a coliseum is, but we've got mermaids here! They aren't very _nice_, but we got 'em!"

"If you believe," Sora says with an airy, contented sigh, "you can do anything, right? I know I'll find Kairi, and then I'll show her the worlds just like I've seen them! It'll be a great adventure just… the two of us…"

The Keybearer looks away, his good mood fading. What in the universe is he going to do about Riku? Surely there must be some way to show Riku the error of his actions, but how?

"Hey, look here!" Azlyn calls from inside Hook's cabin. Telary ambles in to see the knight standing at Hook's desk, holding a bundle of papers in her hands.

The mage walks up and takes them from her, looking them over carefully. "Oh my goodness! These… these are…"

"What, Telary?" Sora asks, cocking his head curiously.

"The Ansem Reports!" he declares, rifling through them. "I mean, not all of them, mostly it's just the odd numbers, but still! Oh, wait until Leon gets a load of this. Or the king! We still think these are what he's trying to find, right?"

Before there can be any more discussion of the papers, Tinker Bell flies into the cabin and begins tinkling urgently, grabbing Peter's attention.

"What's that about the clock tower, Tink? You say you've got something to show Sora there? Okay, okay, we'll go!"

"Where's the clock tower," Sora asks.

"Back in London, where Wendy's from," Pan explains. "C'mon, we'll go there now!"

**KH-KH-KH**

Riku nearly collapses to one knee before Maleficent, still feeling all out of sorts from his earlier teleportation. He'd used dark power before, and even opened portals, but something about taking along a passenger seems to do a number on his body. Practically everything aches.

"It was foolish to use the dark powers like that," Maleficent scolds, looking impassively down at him with one eyebrow raised archly. "Without a vessel to use, you exposed your heart to some rather dangerous darkness, my boy. I worry of its effects on you."

"You use those portals all the time!" Riku counters.

The witch shrugs. "My heart is guarded strongly against the Darkness. I have trained myself to keep apart from it. You have no such training, and therefore…"

"If I hadn't acted quickly, Sora could have gotten to Kairi!" Riku yells defensively, finding the strength to stand and square his shoulders against the dark lady. "You know I couldn't let that happen, not when we're so close."

"I thought you were unconcerned about Sora's power. Why, you repeatedly told me that you could easily…"

"That was before I saw him, okay?" Riku interrupts, looking away ashamedly. "Now that I know what he can do with the Keyblade, I'm not so sure that I…"

"So it is his power you fear, hm?" Maleficent interrupts, smirking enigmatically. Riku doesn't like it one bit. "The _Keyblade's_ power? Well, my dear boy, I think I have some good news for you, then." She steps forward to him. "For you have power of your own, Riku. Untapped power that I believe you are finally ready to awaken."

The jade-skinned sorceress raises her arms, and suddenly Riku's body is enveloped in a dazzling green glow. But there's more to it, something igniting in his very soul, his heart.

Power, like he's never known before.

In the shadows a cloaked man watches, chuckling quietly to himself.

_Finally, _he thinks, _a suitable vessel…_

**KH-KH-KH**

The voyage from Hook's ship to London had been incredible, flying freely through the night air of Neverland, passing above the island itself as Peter pointed out landmarks, and finally making a beeline for the second star to the right and moving straight on 'til morning.

Very early morning in London, as it happens, at a time when most denizens of the relatively peaceful city lie snuggled up in their cozy beds. Lights still stand out from below, but none can compare to the massive faces of Big Ben, perhaps the most famous timepiece in the known universe.

Wendy waits on a ledge above the timepieces themselves, leaning against a pillar and gazing dreamily at the city below. When she sees Peter and his party arriving, she smiles at them all.

"Welcome to London, Sora," she says with a polite curtsy. When she raises her head at the Keybearer again, her expression is forlorn. "I'm just dreadfully sorry that you weren't able to help your friend. I do so hope you'll find a way."

"We will," Sora assures her with a small smile, pushing his doubts back for the moment and deciding to just believe.

At that moment Tinker Bell rushes Sora, flitting around and making her tiny noises urgently. Without thinking, he tries to flick her away with his hand, earning him an indignant stomp.

"Sorry, Tink," he apologizes sheepishly.

"I think she's upset about the clock faces," Wendy says thoughtfully. "One of them isn't properly aligned with the others, you see."

"Well, then let's just see if we can't fix that, eh?" Peter suggests with a glint in his eye, stepping off the edge of the tower and flying to the incorrect clock. Sora, Azlyn, and Telary follow him down, finding that the hour hand is at the ten, instead of at twelve like all the rest. All four grab its edge and push, slowly but surely returning it to its proper position.

After a few minutes of hard work, they manage to put the clock right. As soon as it's done, the entire face begins to glow even brighter, causing the group to backpedal through the air and cover their eyes.

Sora thinks he sees something in the light though, and he squints through it to find that a Keyhole has appeared, right between the four and five markers. Summoning the Keyblade, he seals it, making sure that never again will the Heartless trouble the land of children's dreams.

* * *

**And with that, the worlds of Disney are ended, for this story at least. I must say, I'll miss adapting their stories, adding in tidbits here and there, but now I think that the real good stuff can happen, things that I hope will set this story and my characters apart.**

**So, as we end the Disney worlds stage, I have to ask: What were your guys' favorite parts, or new things you liked, or even what moments did you find the funniest? I'm always curious to see these things through reader's eyes, and encourage you to share them. You obviously don't have to, but honestly I want to know what you really think.**

**Until next time, when we take a little break and get a last bit of foreshadowing before heading into the final act of Keys to the Kingdom.**


	30. The Story Of The Light

Sora collapses into his chair, one-hundred and ten percent ready to leave Neverland and its bittersweet memories behind. After sealing the Keyhole and bidding Wendy a final farewell, Peter had personally escorted the trio back to Neverland to pick up their ship.

"Sora?" Telary's voice cuts through the Keybearer's thoughts, snapping him back to the reality of the ship cockpit.

The boy in question blinks, looking over at the pilot. "Uh, yeah, Telary?"

"I said I'm going to fly manual a little while," he repeats, slowly to make sure Sora understands. "At least until Halloween Town. After flying like that in Neverland, I don't know, I just kinda want to get some time in the ship."

Sora nods, sinking back into his chair and looking out the viewport into the depths of space. Somewhere out there, he thinks, is a place called Hollow Bastion, and Riku and Kairi are there. He glances at the now completed Navigation Gummi resting on the control board, hoping that it will lead him to his friends.

"Yo, Sora!" Azlyn calls out harshly, once again shocking the boy back into reality. He turns to see her poking her head above the ladder. She nods downward. "C'mon, we're going to the gym for a while, okay?"

Sora frowns at the knight. "Why are we…?"

"Just do what I say, okay? It's for your own good."

Sora shoots a confused look to Telary, who just shrugs and inputs a few course corrections. Letting out a deep sigh, Sora rises from his chair and follows Azlyn down the ladder.

As soon as they step into the tiny workout room, just a mid-size square mat and a large cabinet that contains the necessary equipment, Azlyn tosses the Keybearer a pair of boxing gloves. He frowns at them, and then his friend.

"Put 'em on," Azlyn says, half-suggestion and half-threat. A clear challenge.

"What are we doing?" Sora asks, brows furrowed. "What is the point of…?"

"Look, Sora," Azlyn interrupts, tightening her left glove's lace with her teeth, "I can tell you're upset about Riku and that red-haired girl, or worried or whatever. You can't hide it all behind optimistic speeches about 'one day'. And since I'm not really any good at this 'emotion' business, I figured it might be good for you to try my method of dealing with feelings. Hitting something." She smiles slyly, rolling her head back to crack the muscles of her neck. "If you _can_ hit me, that is."

Sora smirks at the girl, feeling the invigorating rush of a friendly competition. Nothing is at stake here, not even some trophy and prize munny, just a little spar between friends, like he'd done a thousand times back on the island. He quickly fits the gloves onto his hands, then squares up with Azlyn.

The fight doesn't last long, and it turns out Azlyn was right about him not being able to hit her. The knight is just too well-practiced, ducking and weaving around all of his shots, then retaliating with blows of her own. Sora can't help but grow frustrated, expending all this effort with nothing to show for it.

He feels that way about the search for his friends too, like he's always just within striking distance of his goal before it's snatched away again. Add that to the anguish he feels about Jasmine and Alice's abductions, and it's all just one big infuriating mess.

Finally Azlyn stops messing around, delivering an obviously pulled punch to Sora's jaw that sends him reeling back a few steps. If this is what it feels like when she's holding back, Sora fervently hopes he never finds himself subjected to Azlyn's full force.

"Not bad," she says with a shrug, backing up and looking the boy over. Neither of them have worked up much of a sweat, but whatever happens down the line can be easily fixed by a spell from Telary. In lieu of washing machines or a drier, the mage has been magically zapping their garments clean throughout the journey.

"Whaddya mean 'not bad'?" Sora asks incredulously. "I couldn't even touch you, and obviously you were holding back!"

She shrugs again. "You're used to the Keyblade. It works for you. Fighting fist to fist may not really be the best arena for…" Quickly, a grin spreads across her face. She pulls her gloves off and heads for the cabinet, opening it and pulling out a pair of training swords, edges clearly blunted. She tosses one to Sora, who catches it easily. "See?"

"So it's a swordfight you want, huh?" Sora chuckles, dropping into his combat stance. Azlyn prepares as well, gripping the sword with both hands, blade parallel to her body.

They move for each other again, dulled blades clashing against one another and kicking up sparks. Azlyn, in no way surprising Sora, is all about power, committing fully to every blow. Every block Sora makes sends tingles up his arms.

But the knight is perhaps too committed, and quickly begins to make mistakes, obviously not used to the weight of a sword. Within five minutes, Sora is able to turn a block into a route, spinning his blade clockwise and knocking Azlyn's weapon right out of her hands! Grinning, he places his blade's tip just above her throat.

"Had enough?" he asks playfully, grinning at the knight like he's daring her to try anything more.

"Okay, okay," she sighs, stepping back and shaking her head in disbelief. "I guess neither of us is gonna be beaten with our favored weapons, huh?"

Sora nods, as a sudden idea hits him. His impish grin returns. "Well then let's see who's better period. Me and you, sword versus fists. What do you say?"

Azlyn breaks out in a rivaling grin of her own. "Oh, man, you are so on, key boy! I am gonna take you down before you can say 'wow, this devastatingly beautiful woman is about to hand me my keister. How ever will my fragile ego survive?'"

The Keybearer snorts, nodding. "Well, it sounds like you've given yourself plenty of time then, huh?"

Azlyn settles back into a combat ready position, as does Sora across the mat from her. They stare each other down, each daring the other to call for the bout's beginning.

Finally, Azlyn can't take it anymore. "Okay, get ready! In three… two… one…" Without verbalizing her countdown's zero, Azlyn lets out a roar of challenge and rushes forward. Grinning in anticipation, Sora does the same, raising his practice sword high as he charges…

**KH-KH-KH**

"Hey, Telary," Sora greets the pilot as he climbs back up onto the bridge, still a bit winded and sore from he and Azlyn's "grudge match".

"Oh, hi Sora," Telary greets the younger boy without so much as a backwards glance, dipping the Gummi ship through the spacelanes with practiced ease. "What was that noise down on the main deck earlier? I could hear it pretty much perfectly from all the way up here."

Sora shrugs, taking a seat on the mage's right side. "Just me and Azlyn having a little friendly battle."

Telary nods, doing some quick recalibrations of velocity. "That's nice." He turns to him with a knowing half-smile. "She wanted you to beat out your emotions, didn't she?"

Sora chuckles and nods, leaning back in his seat. He turns his gaze to their surroundings, the swirling colors of the space between worlds. "Yeah."

"Did it help?"

Sora sighs, focusing on a bit of rock he can see floating calmly in the void. "Kind of… I dunno, I guess I just deal with things better by talking."

"Me too." There's a short pause before the mage continues. "You know, Sora, you can talk to me if you want. About anything. I'm not exactly 'Ask Daisy', but… I want you to know that I'm here for you."

There's a brief pause in the cockpit, so full of potential that Telary can feel it throughout his body. Most especially in his heart.

"I think I may have hated Riku for a minute back on Hook's ship," Sora admits quietly, looking at his hands. "My best friend in the whole universe, and I hated him. It was just before he left with Kairi. He was trying to act like he was doing the right thing, like teaming up with the Heartless was what he had to do for Kairi."

Telary hesitantly opens his mouth to speak…

"And he handed over Kairi to that Maleficent! I mean, he actually thinks that some witch and her Darkness is gonna help him be Kairi's big hero! But if she's stuck in that castle, that's probably crawling with Heartless and who knows what other bad stuff… I don't know what could happen to her. That's why I hope this new Gummi will lead us to this 'Hollow Bastion' place. I've got to help Kairi. I don't _know _if I can still help Riku…

"Growing up with him was amazing, Telary, you can't even imagine. We did everything together, spent basically all our time together. He told me about the first time he kissed a girl in fifth grade. Her name was Penelo I think… Anyway, it was little stuff like that that made us so close. I didn't have any siblings, so I guess Riku kind of acted like an older brother to me, 'cause I didn't have that in my life."

Telary gives the boy a sympathetic look. "And now it's like you're missing out on it, huh?"

Sora pauses, looks away. What he wants to say next is… it feels like a betrayal. "Y'know, Riku accused me of replacing him and Kairi with you and Azlyn, and I guess in a way it's kind of true… Because Telary, now you're kind of like, well… You're doing what Riku used to, Telary. You're like a… like…" Tears fill Sora's eyes, and he drops his head into his hands.

Telary stands and moves to Sora, smiling down at him. "Hey, it's okay Sora. I…"

The mage places his hand to Sora's back, and suddenly…

_Sora flies through a tunnel. Piercing, welcoming light waits up ahead. He looks around, confused by his sudden departure from the Gummi ship._

_The light at the end of the tunnel looms ever closer, and the closer he gets the brighter it becomes…_

_The light fades and he's in a library, shelves of books filling the room like the walls of a maze. In front of him is an open area with a curved staircase that leads to a second level balcony. Just underneath it, beside a large window light streams through, is a table and chair._

_There's a flash of light from the window, and suddenly an old woman in a careworn purple dress with a white apron, a worn gray scarf tied around her neck, rests in the lone chair. In front of her stands a redheaded four year old girl, looking up at her patiently. In moments, Sora realizes that it's the young Kairi, which means…_

_"Tell me the story, Grandma!" Kairi begs in that childish way, big eyes working their special toddler magic. "You told it to him when he was my age…"_

_"Very well, dear child, I shall tell you the story of the Light," Kairi's grandmother relents with a shake of her head. "Long ago, all people lived in peace and light, bathed in its warmth all of their days. The people loved the light, loved the way it made them feel. Soon this pure love turned tainted, possessive. The people fought over the Light, wanting it for their own, wanting to be its sole possessor. This conflict brought forth Darkness in the people's hearts, Darkness which was not content to stay there, soon spreading to cover the world in its cold shadows. It seemed all hope was lost._

_"But the Light was not extinguished, for it never truly is. It simply found a refuge, many refuges in fact, in the hearts of children, for their innocent love of the Light was the way it was meant to be. Using this remaining Light, the children rebuilt the world. But the children could not remake the world exactly as it once was, and instead made many of them, scattered among the stars and cut off from all others. We live in one of those worlds ourselves._

_"But the true Light, the Light that once sustained the single world that was, still lies sleeping, deep in the depths of Darkness. Until it can return, the worlds must remain scattered and disconnected as they are. But one day a door will open in the innermost Darkness, and that true Light will return to restore the connections between the worlds._

_"So you must believe child, in your heart, that even in the face of great Darkness, the Light will guide you. For in deepest Darkness lies truest Light. Believe in that Light, and the Light inside yourself, and the Darkness will never defeat you. Do you understand, child?"_

_Kairi nods, her little face resolute._

_Smiling, her grandmother rises and reaches out to take the girl's hand. "See that you remember this lesson Kairi, for it will serve you well. Now, let's go see if your brother has found that book yet. With that rambunctious friend of yours distracting him, he may need our help."_

_The pair walk away contentedly, until they stop dead in their tracks. Kairi turns and looks at Sora where he's floating above her, innocent blue eyes focused._

_"Sora…" she says, but not with the voice of a young child, but her sixteen year old self, as plain to Sora's ears as the last time he heard it in person…_

"…doesn't mean that you've abandoned your old friendships," Telary finishes. Sora's head snaps up, the memory of what he'd just seen playing across his mind again. "Sora? Sora, are you okay? Sora!"

The Keybearer doesn't respond, just stares out the window, his eyes darting absently from one part of space to another.

"Uh, okay," Telary says as he retakes his seat in the pilot's chair. "Sora, um, I'm not sure, but I think there may be something, um, well, something wrong with you, so I think I'll just warp us to Traverse Town right away, okay?"

Sora doesn't even seem to hear him, laser-focused on something Telary cannot fathom.

"Brother…?" the boy whispers lightly to himself as Telary pulls the ship forward into warp speed.

Kairi has a _brother_?

**KH-KH-KH**

1st District is at its usual level of quiet bustling when the trio enter through its doors, people milling to and fro as they fulfill whatever purpose it is they have.

"You're _sure_ you don't need us to find a doctor to look at you?" Telary asks Sora, for what the Keybearer imagines must be the hundred-millionth time. "I'm sure there's someone here who could help if you needed it. Leon must…"

"For the last time, Telary," Sora snaps at the mage, making it hard to imagine that the pair were having an intense heart-to-heart only minutes ago, "I'm fine. I just got a bit overwhelmed back there. Physically, I'm like…"

"Hey, wooden boy!" Azlyn calls out, interrupting her friend.

Sora gives her an odd look. "What, no, I don't feel like a wooden…"

"Pinocchio!" Jiminy Cricket exclaims happily, leaping out of his refuge in the pocket of Telary's sleeveless hoody and bounding across the square.

The puppet in question sees his conscience, and then the trio that saved him in the depths of Monstro, and nearly drops the bag full of groceries that he is caring. He manages to hold tight to them, though, remembering how much his father needs them.

"It's good to see that you got here okay," Telary says gratefully, the nagging possibility that he might have miswritten the coordinates to town for Geppetto evaporating.

"You seem to be doing okay here," Sora says, perking up a bit.

"Did you pay for all that stuff?" Azlyn asks with a questioning eyebrow lift.

"Hey, knock it off Azlyn!" Jiminy admonishes the knight. "Pinocchio is a good boy now, and good boys aren't thieves." A hesitant look comes over the cricket's face suddenly, and he looks up at the wooden boy quizzically. "_Are_ you being a good boy?"

Pinocchio nods proudly. "I paid for all of this stuff with the munny father gave me. None of it was taken without permission." The boy's nose doesn't grow an inch.

Jiminy smiles wide, pure pride in his eyes. "Aww, Pinocch…"

"C'mon, I'll show you guys to me and Father's new house. Mr. Leon found it for us, and it's really neat!"

The group follows the living puppet to a small house set back in the corner of the district, a green door surrounded on both sides by rectangular windows greeting them. Soft light pours through the windows.

Telary opens the door for Pinocchio, who trots into his house with gusto. "Father, Father, Jiminy and his friends are here!"

Geppetto emerges from a room back in the hall, wiping his hands on a towel. Upon seeing Sora, Azlyn, Telary, and Jiminy, his eyes light up behind his glasses.

"As I live and breathe!" the toymaker exclaims, entering into the main room. In one corner is a stove and oven, brown wooden cabinets above it. In the center of the room is a large table. There's a green armchair between the fireplace and the front window, and a smaller blue one by it. The place is small, but Sora can feel the hominess of it. "Oh, this is wonderful! You can stay for dinner!"

Telary blushes and looks at the floor. "Oh, we wouldn't want to impose…"

"Impose?" Geppetto says dismissively, as if it's the silliest word he can think of. "It's the least I can do after you rescued me and my little boy from a _whale's belly_!"

Pinocchio immediately begins taking the groceries out of his bag and placing them on the counter. Geppetto watches him with an ecstatic smile.

"Oh, and I didn't even have to ask!" the toymaker exclaims.

Jiminy smiles at him. "Pinocchio certainly seems to have his act together."

"He's on his way to becoming a real boy, I'm sure of it!" Geppetto agrees.

And so the traveling heroes stay for a large, home-cooked meal that fills up their bellies, and wonderful uplifting conversation that fills their hearts.

"Oh, are you sure you can't stay with us, Jiminy?" Pinocchio pleads with his conscience as the guests prepare to leave, standing in the street outside the wooden boy and his father's home. "It may seem like I'm great at being good and honest now, but I tell ya it's still a struggle every day."

Jiminy frowns sadly at his former charge. "I know, Pinocch, I do. But I've got another mission to fulfill, something I made a promise to do." The cricket leaps onto the boy's shoulder, looking him evenly in the eyes. "I'll stay with you in your heart, y'know. All you have to do when things get rough is think of me, and you'll find your way. Because truth be told, my boy, you already know how to be a good boy. You just need to follow through on it, is all. Understand?"

Pinocchio nods solemnly to his conscience.

After they leave the father and son behind, Jiminy excuses himself back to the Gummi ship, needing to be alone to deal with this latest emotional development. Sora, Azlyn, and Telary continue on to the small house in 3rd District.

"This is kinda weird," Azlyn comments as the trio stroll through 2nd District, seemingly every bit as occupied as the 1st. "I mean, this place used to be basically haunted."

Sora says nothing, eyes focused on his feet. Telary smiles at Azlyn's thought, but it falters as he watches Sora.

They get another warm greeting as they enter Leon's small house. Leon, Aerith, Yuffie, and Cid are all inside, and all of them are happy to see the trio's return. Especially so when Telary pulls out the Ansem reports.

Cid and Aerith go over them with a fine-toothed comb as the trio regale the group with tales of their many adventures since last parting, of Heartless battled and Keyholes sealed.

"Looks like your king knew Ansem," Cid says, holding up a report labelled "#9". Telary grabs it up and reads it for himself, Sora and Azlyn peering over his shoulder at the paper.

"Yeah, it seems the king introduced him to the concept of Gummi ships," Telary notes as he reads, "_and _the Keyblade."

"He talks in an earlier report about opening a door, and seeing some sort of energy mass inside," Aerith says, looking over #5. "I think he was the one who broke the barriers between worlds. The night he saw our world's heart, there was a meteor shower made of Gummis. It must have been the world barrier breaking down."

"Yeah, but how do we defeat the Heartless for good?" Yuffie chimes in, doing a one-handed handstand to keep herself occupied. With a grunt, she pushes off the floor and switches hands.

"There's nothing about that in these reports," Aerith reports sadly, causing faces to fall all over the room. "He only mentions his first discovery of the Heartless, and one of them leading him to the heart of the world. Any other experiments must be in other reports."

"So we're nowhere," Leon grumbles, leaning back against the wall sadly. "Without these other reports…"

"If the king knew Ansem, he must have known about the reports," Azlyn says, scratching at her chin thoughtfully. "Maybe he even helped him write some later ones, who knows? Anyway, if the king knew about the reports he'd know they could help stop the Darkness, so he'd have gone after them. I'd be willing to bet that if that's the case, he has a lot of the ones we need."

"So we _really_ need to find him," Telary finishes.

Sora steps up and shakes his head defiantly. "We do, yeah, but we're not doing anything until we get Kairi back! We know where she is so…"

"You found her?" Aerith exclaims happily, clasping her hands together and smiling.

Sora nods. "But she's in trouble. My friend Riku has her, and he took her to Maleficent's fortress. Hook said it was called…"

"Hollow Bastion," Leon answers in a whisper so quiet he's barely heard.

Sora looks at the older man in puzzlement. "Yeah, that's it. How'd you…?"

"You told us Maleficent took over your world with the Heartless," Azlyn interrupts, nodding knowingly. "You even mentioned a castle. Bastion is basically just another word for that. Huh."

"If there's no other mention of Heartless in these reports, and Maleficent learned how to control them by reading Ansem's writings…" Telary puzzles out slowly, thoughtfully. "Then she must still have some reports of her own. Maybe even the ones we need."

Cid grimaces at the trio of heroes. "If you have to go there you have to go there, but I gotta warn ya, that place is more full of Heartless than damn near anywhere else in the universe. It's not gonna be pleasant."

Azlyn shrugs. "Aw, what do we care? We've whipped Heartless butt before, we can do it again easy."

Sora nods. "I don't care how dangerous it is. If Kairi's there I'm going."

"Donald and Goofy are probably there as well," Telary postulates, looking nervous but full of verve, "and I want them safe as much as Sora does Kairi."

Leon pushes off the wall and gives the trio his maximum strength half-smile. "We have every confidence in your success, you guys. I know you can beat Maleficent _and _the Heartless."

"I agree," Aerith says.

"The Great Ninja Yuffie believes with her whole heart."

"You got guts kids," Cid admits, chuckling to himself and shaking his head. "If nothing else, you all got some kinda guts."


	31. Ruins

"Are you _still _in here?"

Maleficent's voice cuts through Riku's thoughts. He tears his eyes away from Kairi's unmoving form, floating a few feet above the floor in a glass case that looks far too much like a coffin for Riku's taste, and turns to see Maleficent entering through the large door to the Grand Hall of Hollow Bastion, her robe trailing over the purple carpet with a massive Heartless emblem embroidered across its center.

He shrugs at her, turning back to his seemingly lifeless friend. "You know what Kairi means to me. I'm not letting her out of my sight until it's time to deal with Sora. With all these Heartless crawling around…"

"She has no heart, child," Maleficent reminds Riku derisively. "As far as most of the Heartless are concerned, your friend isn't even there."

There's a sound of wheels moving from hard floor to carpet, and Riku turns once again to see a pair of Soldiers rolling another glass case like Kairi's into the room, propped up on a gurney. Inside is a young woman with auburn hair, the eyes of her classically beautiful face closed in gentle repose. She's wearing a red and pink dress, simple enough to be worn for any occasion, but with a definite touch of castle-worthy chic.

"Another one," Riku notes flatly. "Are we going to have all that we need in time?"

Maleficent watches her Heartless connect the Princess's transparent cocoon to the last of six alcoves that line the walls of the Grand Hall, three on each side of the room. "Yes, I believe that things are progressing at an optimum pace. My Heartless scouts are even now combing remaining worlds for the last girl we require."

Riku nods. He's about to say something when a defiant roar bursts through the air. He stops and looks around for the source of the sound. "Is there a Heartless…?"

"Quite the contrary, as a matter of fact," Maleficent replies, a cruel smile stretching her thin lips. "A castaway. He must have followed that girl back when we destroyed his home, through sheer force of will. No doubt he will attempt to interfere." Her look to Riku turns serious. "Would you be a dear and…?"

"I'm not your errand boy, or your enforcer," Riku interrupts, a defiant finger pointing at the witch with all the intent of a sharpened dagger. "If it doesn't involve Kairi, I don't need to do it. Or do you forget what I'll soon have the power to do to your little operation, hm?"

Maleficent rolls her eyes. "Without the Princesses there is no Keyhole. Without a Keyhole there is no Door. And no Door means no answers for your friend. Now, is that what you want?"

Riku huffs angrily, but nevertheless moves to exit the hall. "When I get back, she had better be exactly as she is. If not…"

Leaving his threat hanging in the air, the silver-haired boy stalks off to fulfill his mistress's request.

Maleficent watches him go, an annoyed grimace on her face.

"It seems your little friend is forgetting his place, my dear," the jade-skinned woman says to the unconscious redhead. "How you were able to handle both him and that Sora boy for as long as you did? Why, you'd have to have a heart as pure as…"

Maleficent pauses over Kairi's coffin, slowly casting her wicked gaze over the girl. A girl who has no heart, yet whose body remains? Certainly an unusual circumstance, but is it unusual enough to mean…?

She smiles down at the girl, a sudden thought coming over her.

"My but that island of yours bred some influential players," she says, impressed. She looks up at the half-constructed machine resting at the height of the hall, Heartless working tirelessly to connect its many components.

This will be a day not soon forgotten.

**KH-KH-KH**

"Wow," Sora says as he gazes at the giant castle of Hollow Bastion through the viewport of the Gummi ship.

It stretches hundreds of feet into the dusky sky, a monstrous, cobbled-together looking fortress, half grand keep and half mechanical wasteland, plumes of steam from huge chimneys resting beside majestic marble towers. Most prominent of all its features, however, is the giant Heartless emblem constructed on its face. Surrounding the castle for at least several miles is a dark, swirling fog.

"The sensors can't penetrate past that fog," Telary informs Sora, running his left hand over a few instruments while his right guides the ship down. "As far as I can tell, that castle is all that remains of this world except for a few canyons. There's one close by, I'll see if there's a spot to put down at."

Sora watches the castle come closer as the ship descends, something stirring inside of him. On the one hand is the obvious fear of the Heartless within, of facing them down for Kairi's sake and coming up short. But something else stirs inside Sora, a feeling that seems to pierce his very heart.

Something almost like… Recognition.

Telary manages to find a landing spot, setting down in a large canyon, a long bare rectangle surrounded on two sides by blue stone. With a bit of deft maneuvering, he lands the vessel.

As he powers down all systems, the mage heaves a deep sigh. Unstrapping himself from his safety harness, he moves to stand beside Sora. Looking up, they can still see the higher portions of the castle, above the Heartless symbol.

"There's something about this place," Sora says vaguely, like he's daydreaming and conversing simultaneously. "I… I don't know what it is, but I feel like… I think I know this place."

Telary nods. "Same here. At first I thought it just generally reminded me of Disney Castle, but now it, I don't know, feels kind of like…"

"A warmth," Sora finishes, nodding understandingly. He moves his hand over his chest. "It's right here, like…"

"Oh, your bowels are just upset!" Azlyn chimes in crassly, coming up the ladder from below. Both boys turn back to look at her, frowning. She scoffs and rolls her eyes. "Okay, sorry. I was just trying to lighten up the mood. Gosh, you guys are so…" Azlyn trails off as she reaches Sora, staring up at the castle's heights with the same look in her eye as Sora and Telary. "Huh, now that you mention it…"

"Um, excuse me!"

Jiminy Cricket's voice startles the trio out of their odd shared reverie, and they all turn as one to see the little chronicler looking up at them, one eyebrow quirked.

"Hey, Jiminy," Telary greets the cricket, smiling down at him weakly. "We were just, uh… Y'know, preparing ourselves."

"Mentally," Sora adds, rising from his chair and stretching out his legs and arms.

"Gettin' ready to do some major damage, y'know?" Azlyn finishes.

"Well, I just wanted to tell you three that I wish you the best of luck find your friends," Jiminy says, smiling up at the stars of his journal. "Try to be careful out there, if you can."

The trio all mumble nondescript thanks to their chronicler, then head as a unit to the down-ladder. Azlyn, then Sora, then Telary descend into the common room, from there continuing on down to the cargo room, where the ramp is open to the blue canyon landing field.

They walk the wide ramp shoulder to shoulder to shoulder, taking in the surroundings as one. With a last round of looks at each other, they press on.

It takes about five minutes of hiking, but eventually the trio find themselves standing at the bottom of a massive natural bowl, water falling all around. Further examination reveals, however, that the water is in fact rising, defying the very nature of gravity. Platforms of ice float in midair, leading upward to a large stone platform that the trio can see only the bottom of. Beyond that, the castle rises up in the background.

"This is it, guys," Sora says, trying his best to sound resolute. "Final showdown time. Maleficent is here, Riku's here… Kairi…"

"Master Donald…" Telary says, feeling his entire body shiver with involuntary fright.

"Captain Goofy…" Azlyn mutters, putting on a brave face.

Suddenly, a deep, rumbling roar that shakes the trio to their very bones rises up from the large stone platform. Steeling himself, Sora starts forward and upwards to the source of the noise, his companions falling loyally in behind him, best brave faces on.

"Let's go."

**_Hollow Bastion_**

Riku holds his blade in ready-stance, glaring at the creature in the purple cloak and tattered pants. It's covered in shaggy brown fur all over, from its broad chest to its large arms that end in clawed paws. Its long snout has elements of both a bear and a big cat, and black horns protrude from its forehead.

And yet, despite the beast's animalistic countenance and savage disposition, it looks at Riku with an undeniable consciousness in its eyes.

"You had no Gummi blocks, no help from the Heartless…" Riku states, warily looking the beast up and down, trying to divine some weak point for attacking. "How did you get here? Why didn't you fade with the rest of your world?"

The beast snorts once, then shakes its massive head, rustling fur all over its body. "When my home fell to darkness and Belle was taken from me, I vowed to myself that I would find her. I simply believed that I could find her once more, and then I was here. She must be here! I _will_ have her back!"

Riku narrows his eyes and chuckles sardonically. "Well, if you're so adamant, then why don't you just try and take her!"

Knowing a challenge when he hears one, Beast launches himself at the silver-haired boy, a loud rumbling roar echoing all throughout the Rising Falls as he propels himself on all fours towards his enemy.

Riku rolls his eyes and sidesteps, slashing down with the red and purple blade of his Soul Eater and landing a solid hit on Beast's furry hide. Drops of blood fly into the air, and with a pained cry, the Beast falls to the stone floor.

Riku laughs and shakes his head at the pitiful fallen creature. "You know, we're not so different you and I. Both of us are fighting for a woman we care about, both of us are determined to save her no matter the cost. But even with all your rage and righteous anger, you're still no match for the power I've found. The power of Darkness!"

Riku raises his blade for a final blow, but suddenly something impacts against it, sending it flying from the boy's grasp and over the platform's edge. Startled, he turns to see that Sora and his two lackeys have arrived. The blonde girl reaches out her hand and snags her golden shield out of the air.

"I won't let you hurt anybody else, Riku!" Sora rages, Keyblade already drawn and ready for a fight. Behind the boy, Telary and Azlyn prepare for battle as well.

Riku just smiles, taking a lazy pair of steps forward, seemingly unconcerned by the threat. "Well, it's about time you got here, Sora. I was beginning to think you weren't going to show up in time."

"I'm going to stop you, and Maleficent too!" Sora promises, bearing a snarl that could rival that of the fallen Beast.

Riku laughs lightly, shaking his head back and forth. "No, Sora, you aren't," he says matter-of-factly. "I'm afraid that your quest is ending now."

Sora's eyebrows quirk confusedly. "Huh? No way, Riku! I'm not going to be done until I've beaten Maleficent and the Heartless and rescued Kairi!"

"Oh, no you aren't, Sora," Riku replies with a smug shake of his head. "See, your quest was actually only to act as a delivery boy. It's time for the Keyblade to choose its true wielder!"

Riku reaches out his gloved hand. Suddenly, the Keyblade begins to vibrate in Sora's hands, moving towards Riku of its own accord like it has been magnetized. Sora holds tight to the hilt and grabs the rounded blade, but it's no use. There's a flash of light, and the Keyblade is gone.

Light flashes identically into Riku's hand, but it soon blackens and turns violet, and when it fades the Keyblade rests in his gloved fist. It's changed though, all black with a wicked looking spike poking out from the end, its teeth pointed. The blade runs down into a purple crystal, and to both sides of that extend the wings of a bat, encircling a hilt of pitch black metal. A black chain falls from the hilt and ends in a crown, much like the pendant Sora wears.

_Oblivion._

"What!" Azlyn exclaims, taking a surprised step back.

"Why…?" Telary breathes, a sudden terror overtaking his entire being.

"No, you… I… How?" Sora chokes out brokenly, stumbling forward a single uneasy step.

"Only I have the power, the _strength_ necessary to save Kairi," Riku informs his bewildered former friend. "Only the true master of the Keyblade can open the secret door. And when I do, I'll not only have the knowledge needed to restore Kairi her heart, I will be powerful enough to shape the universe to my choosing!"

Sora shakes his head, his knees shaking unsteadily. "But, I sealed the Keyholes! I was stopping the Heartless from eating worlds' hearts! I was doing the job of the Keyblade wielder!"

"A wielder, yes," Riku agrees with a condescending nod. "But you were never its _master_. Everything you accomplished with this blade was a distraction, unnecessary! You were fooled, like a stupid child." He dismisses the Keyblade and reaches behind his back, producing a wooden sword just like Sora had back on the islands, the weapon used in many a sparring match between the boys. Riku tosses it contemptuously at Sora's feet, where it lands on the stone with a clatter. "If you feel the need to still play at heroics, why don't you use that? It's a suitable weapon for a child such as yourself."

He begins to stalk away, when Azlyn cries out for him to stop. Sora can only watch numbly as the knight steps past him without so much as a glance.

"Wait," she says, looking to the new Keybearer without emotion. "My mission is to follow the Keyblade. I may not have been the king's intended representative, but I am the one who stepped up to the call." She casts her gaze back to the still dazed Sora for barely a second, then moves to stand beside Riku.

"No…" Sora just barely squeaks out.

"Azlyn, why…?" Telary asks incredulously.

"It's our _mission_, Telary," she says, her eyes looking from Sora to her counterpart, visible tears casting a shine over them. "It's what Donald and Goofy would want us to do. Maybe if we cooperate, we can get them released." Her eyes fall to the stone ground, a single tear escaping.

The mage looks Sora over, sees this hurting boy who had nearly called him his brother. Then he looks back to Azlyn, who raises her head.

After a moment, Telary nods and rushes over to be with Riku and Azlyn as fast as he can, keeping his back turned away from his broken friend.

"I'm sorry, Sora," he says shakily.

Riku laughs as Sora falls to his knees, no longer able to bear the crushing weight of all his abandonment, the betrayal.

"Oh, this is just _too_ good," he muses darkly, looking from his defeated former friend to his new lackeys. "You abandoned _me_ for these two, and now they're abandoning _you_ to go with me!" He throws his head back and lets out a long laugh. Telary and Azlyn turn away.

After a solid minute Riku finishes his amusement. Turning his back on Sora for what he thinks will be the final time, the boy reaches out to activate a crystal at the far end of the floating courtyard. It glows with a brief red light, and suddenly from the sky descends a large circular platform, suspended to a tether of hardened light by a golden handle. He steps inside, and the Disney Castle duo follows him.

Sora hears the floating platform, along with nearly everyone he's ever thought of as his true friends, move away across the abyss, but only dimly.

Everything he has done, all his trials and triumphs, every Heartless vanquished, fiend defeated, and world saved, has all come to nothing. His destiny is fulfilled, and it has been to come in second place, to struggle and fight and fail only to be judged unworthy.

He contemplates merely staying here, on the stone ground next to a fallen arch in the midst of the Rising Falls. After all, what does he have to continue on towards? No family, no friends, no home, no weapon. All is lost, all is hopeless.

Why carry on? /

A sudden, pained groan momentarily distracts Sora from his distress. Looking up, Sora sees the fallen form of the Beast begin to move, one arm doing its best to lift its bulk off the ground. After a struggling second, though, it fails, and the Beast falls to the ground once again.

Concerned, Sora rises and goes over to the furry fellow. Squatting beside him, he can see where blood has dripped onto the stones.

"Hey, are you okay?" he asks nervously, looking over the hairy body.

With a loud noise of struggle, Beast manages to flip onto his back, exposing the bloody patch of fur surrounding his cut to Sora's eyes. The boy winces at the nasty-looking wound. He reaches to his belt pouch for a potion, but finds that he has none.

Still, he knows he has to help the poor beast at his feet, knows just by looking in its all-too human eyes that beneath the frightening exterior is a man in dire need. So, reaching deep into his core and remembering the times he'd seen Telary perform the spell, he unleashes the power of Cure magic.

Sora feels an odd lightness bubble up inside him, and moments later leaves of pure light form in the air above Beast, sprinkling green sparks over his wound. Sora watches in sheer fascination as the flesh seals itself once more.

Beast sits up and expels a breath, and what little whiff of it Sora catches is far less foul than he might have expected. Grunting, the furred creature rises once more, shaking his head to clear it. That done, he slowly marches forward.

Sora moves to impede him, and as he stops, the Beast glares imperiously down at the child in his way. "Move _now_! I didn't let one boy keep me from Belle, and I swear I will not allow you to do so either!"

Sora frowns, taking a step back in the face of Beast's rage. "But, he beat you! You're hurt? You can't…"

"I came here to fight for Belle!" the Beast explains, as if this response is simplicity itself. "I may be hurt, I may be weakened, I may be outnumbered, but I made a promise that I would find and protect her. I will not go back on that, even though I am alone, no matter what stands in my way. How could I?"

_How could I_? Sora thinks as he steps aside to let Beast pass on his mission. He made a promise as well, a promise to save Kairi, the girl he cares about more deeply than anyone. The girl he…

The girl he loves.

So what if the odds are against him, so what if his destiny isn't working out exactly as he thought it would? So what if even his closest friends have turned their backs on him? Should that stop him from fulfilling his mission, from seeing things through until the end?

"It won't," he whispers to himself, leaning down to snatch up the wooden sword from the ground. He gives it a few experimental swings, then tucks it into his belt and moves to intercept Beast once again.

"You're not alone," he assures his monstrous new cohort. "I came here for someone I… care about, too, and there's no way I'm leaving without her!"

Beast nods. "I… thank you."

"The name's Sora!"

The first problem for the pair is, of course, how to get across the abyss to the castle itself. Sora examines the crystal Riku had used to summon his platform, but finds that it has died, and nothing the boy does will reactivate it.

Sighing, he casts his gaze downward, and spies something that may prove the key. Down perhaps a dozen feet is what appears to be a platform identical to Riku's mode of conveyance. Several icy chunks spaced every few feet lead down to it.

Getting Beast's attention, Sora leaps down to the platform, and finds a crystal resting in its middle, emitting a blue glow that Sora hopes means activation. He reaches out for it…

Suddenly, two floating spheres of darkness emerge from the air, coalescing into a pair of what are unmistakably Heartless. Sora draws his sword, but the wooden weapon only seems to annoy his shadowy foes.

Suddenly there's a roar of pure rage, and Beast comes crashing down onto the platform, the sharp claws of his paw eviscerating the Darkball.

The other of the pair charges at Beast, its jagged mouth opening and closing rapidly to reveal the blue inside. Sora cries out and raises a hand, reaching into the core of him to summon a Fire spell.

The flames hit the dark sphere head on, and in a fit of screaming it evaporates, though Sora notes that no crystalline heart releases from it like when the Keyblade vanquishes a Heartless.

Sora turns to Beast with an appreciative smile. "You really know how to handle yourself. Man, am I glad to have you with me!"

Beast shrugs. "You have power yourself, Sora. And though magic has been no friend to me in the past, I am glad to fight alongside you."

Sora nods, then turns to the crystal, examining it closely for a way to activate it and hopefully get this platform moving. Finally, he just touches it. At the moment he does, light bursts from the crystalline depths, indicating activation.

A hazy sphere surrounds the platform, like it's all trapped inside a giant soap bubble. In seconds the platform begins to descend, plunging into the water below.

Sora stares in fascination as he casts his gaze around. Tiny crystals jut out from the blue stone of the natural bowl's bottom. With a lurch the platform moves forward, heading for a small section of the bowl's wall where there's a gap between the stone wall and floor, just large enough for the platform to slip under.

It shudders to a stop once through and rises, following more blue rock on an upward slide. After perhaps thirty seconds of transport, the dais breaks the surface, emerging into a small area surrounded by brick.

It stops, and the bubble fades, the crystal winking out with a small noise that reminds Sora of Tinker Bell's speech. The boy steps down into the tiny room, and Beast follows, his large feet thudding against the ground.

"A dead end," Sora remarks with a sigh. He steps forward to examine the walls, and finds that almost all of the bricks are chipped and cracked, obviously from exposure to so much moisture over many years.

"Hey, Beast," Sora calls to his furry companion, who steps up beside him and looks down quizzically. "I think you can knock down this wall, give us a way out of here. Could you please…?"

Sora doesn't even get to finish the request before Beast charges forward, demolishing the weakened wall and sending chunks of brick flying everywhere, along with a fine layer of dust that falls to the ground.

Grinning, Sora steps through the wrecked wall, finding himself in a long hallway of dark marble. The walls are natural stone, however, and various pipes come and go through them. Several of the pipes have obvious weak spots and cracks where sparks of light crackle, lending just enough illumination to see by.

"Hello?" a scratchy voice calls out from somewhere down the hall. Sora cocks his head at the sound. He could swear he's heard that voice before, but where…?

"Is anybody out there, ahyuck?" another voice calls, and suddenly the memory of meeting Donald and Goofy, Azlyn and Telary's old mentors, comes back to him. This inevitably leads to a pang of sorrow at the thought of his compatriots' abandonment, but the boy shakes it off, marching towards the sound.

He walks through a stone archway and into a roughly semicircular room, three barred cells set back in the far wall. One of them is empty, but in the other two stand Donald and Goofy, respectively, poking their heads out through the bars.

"Um, hi there, whoever you are!" Goofy greets Sora with a little wave.

Realizing that it is too dark for them to see him, Sora directs a tiny Fire spell at a nearby candle, illuminating the dungeon.

"Hey, you're that Keyblade kid!" Donald exclaims in recognition, a bit of a smile stretching his beak. "You can get us out of here!"

Sora grimaces, scratching at his neck awkwardly. "Well, the thing about that is…"

"Where are Azlyn and Telary?" Goofy asks, a note of worry penetrating his voice. "Didn't they come with you?"

Sora looks away for a second to regain composure, then returns his gaze to the captured pair. "It's kind of a long story, but I sorta… Well, I lost the Keyblade, okay? For some reason, I guess it didn't want me to use it anymore."

"Didn't _want _you?" Donald asks with a quirked eyebrow. "It has a mind of its own?"

Sora shrugs. "I'm not sure, exactly. But anyway… Someone else has the Keyblade now. Azlyn… Azlyn and Telary decided to go with him instead. It's just me and Beast now."

Beast enters the candlelight, and Donald lets out a quack of shock and fear, fleetly backpedaling deeper into his cell.

"You can relax, uh, Master Donald," Sora says placatingly, hoping that his use of an honorific will calm the sorcerer. "Beast is my friend." Hit by a sudden idea, the boy turns to his furred companion. "Hey Beast, do you think you could break down these bars?"

Beast grunts and stalks forward to examine them. As he moves towards the cells, their occupants move back warily until their backs are up against the wall. After a moment, he turns back to Sora and shakes his head.

"They're too strong," he reports. "If I tried to break them down, I think I'd only end up hurting myself."

Sora frowns. "Oh."

"I just can't believe that Azlyn and Telary would leave a friend like that," Goofy says, mostly to himself as he scratches his chin thoughtfully. "Even for an important mission."

"I certainly would never," Donald states plainly, crossing his arms and tapping his foot against the floor.

Goofy pokes his head through the bars again, looking directly at Sora. "Now, Sora, I know things look bad, but I think I know Azlyn and Telary pretty darn well, and I don't think they'd just up and desert a good friend." The captain smiles. "They may just have a trick or two up their sleeves."

Sora nods, although he can't help but doubt the royal guard's words. What plan could possibly involve leaving him in the lurch?

"I can't budge this door either," Beast says regretfully, calling Sora's attention to a heavy metal door in the far recesses of the chamber's wall. "We can't use it to get into the castle itself."

Suddenly, Donald perks up. "You can't use that door, but me and Goofy've heard some kinda elevator going up and down out there. I'll bet that would get you back up into the castle!"

Sora gives the duck a grateful smile. "Thanks… But what about you guys?"

"Oh, we'll be fine down here," Goofy declares confidently. "You've gotta get up there and, uh, do whatever it is you gotta do!"

Though the idea doesn't sit comfortably with him, Sora nods. "Okay, but I promise to come back for you when I can." His expression darkens. "After today, I might be in need of a few new partners."

"Aw, remember what I said, Sora," Goofy admonishes the sullen teen. "Azlyn and Telary'll come around, just you wait. They ain't the kinda people to up and abandon their friends."

"Now go!" Donald quacks encouragingly. After exchanging a last thanks, Sora and Beast depart.

"Well shucks, he seemed nice," Goofy comments positively to Donald once the odd pair are gone.

Donald makes an ambiguous noise.

**KH-KH-KH**

"Why are we waiting here like this?" Azlyn demands from the new Keybearer, fixing him with a hard glare. "Don't you have some kinda Door or Keyhole you need to seal or open or whatever-the-hell?" Telary says nothing, but he does give Riku an inquisitive look.

Riku scoffs loudly at the pair, shaking his head in pure exasperation. "You two were traveling with Sora for a long time, you know how stubborn he can be. If he shows up again, which I guarantee he will, I'm gonna _really_ put him in his place."

Telary grimaces at the memory of Sora fallen to his knees in hopelessness. "I don't know, he seemed pretty, um, pretty beat up about it to me."

"He'll be here!" Riku snaps, waving his black Keyblade threateningly. "I know how Sora thinks, how he'll respond to every situation. After all I am… I _was _his best friend."

Azlyn rolls her eyes and looks away. "Oh, here it comes! Y'know, I've been waiting for _this_ pissing match to start up ever since we came with you. You want us to know that you were _totally _more Sora's best friend than we could ever be. Gee, why don't you two just exchange rings and get it over with?"

Riku snarls at the knight in pure fury. "Y'know, I'm actually being pretty generous, letting you two follow me after all the things you did to turn Sora against me!"

Azlyn's eyes snap wide and she stomps forward. Telary reaches out to hold her back, but she evades his grip. "Oh yeah? Well, how's this for 'turned against you', ya nasty…"

She throws a punch, but Riku merely raises his Keyblade so her fist impacts on the flattened blade. Despite it being protected by her glove, the clash of fist against metal elicits a loud cry of pain from the knight. She grabs her wrist and sinks to the carpeted floor.

Riku sneers down at her. "Disrespect me like that again, and you can join your little animal friends in the dungeons. Down there, under the castle, I assure you no one will be able to hear you scream."

Azlyn raises her head to reply but is cut off by a massive roar echoing through the hall.

Riku's eyebrows climb up his face, and he smiles wickedly at his "companions". "Now see, didn't I tell you I know Sora? That kid just won't give up, and neither will his new pet I imagine." He begins to walk towards the source of the sound. "C'mon, you two. It's time to make yourselves useful."

Telary reaches down to help Azlyn up. As the girl regains her feet, she gives the mage a nod and a slyish wink. Telary has no idea what that means, raising one eyebrow at his counterpart.

"Hurry up you two!" Riku barks from down the hallway. Azlyn and Telary take off after him. /

In the castle entrance hall, a large room carpeted in blue where stairways rise on either side of a large fountain to lead up to a balcony like upper level, Sora and Beast fight off a battalion of Heartless, mostly Shadows and Darkballs. Beast uses his massive bulk and claws, and Sora fights with a dizzying array of magic spells.

Beast plows through one last trio of Shadows, and the room is empty. Exhausted from his magic use, Sora slumps down and places his hands on his knees.

"Man, Cid wasn't kidding about all the Heartless around this place," he huffs out through labored breaths.

There's a sudden sound of a door opening behind the pair, and both turn to see the double doors of the main entrance sliding open. In the midst of them stands a young woman in a red dress.

Sora frowns in confusion, but Beast leaps forward. "Belle!"

Suddenly there's a flash of smoke, and the girl is revealed to be merely a Shadow. Enraged by the deception, Beast charges after it, the doors slamming shut behind him.

As the echoes fade, Sora hears a new sound, a slow clapping that comes from above. Whirling, the boy sees Riku striding down the lefthand stairs, his hands moving rhythmically together and apart. Azlyn and Telary walk behind him, expressions carefully blank in the sight of their old companion.

"I've got to hand it to you, Sora," the new Keybearer says sardonically as he reaches the stairway's bottom, "you just don't know when to quit! I used to kind of admire that about you." The sly smile that was until now across Riku's face vanishes. "But now I just find it annoying. It's time you gave up."

Sora shakes his head and steps forward, gripping the wooden sword's hilt in his right hand. "No, I'll never give up! Not until Kairi is safe!"

"Safe!" Riku exclaims, summoning the black Keyblade in a burst of violet light. "You think you can make her _safe_? No, Sora, only I can do that. Only the Darkness can protect Kairi, and you can't use it like I can. It would only destroy you."

"That's not true Riku, despite what you think," Sora defies, puffing out his chest defiantly. "The Darkness may destroy my body, but I promise you that it can't touch my heart. Not if I make sure it stays with my friends."

"You think yourself invincible, eh?" Riku spits out through clenched teeth, energy beginning to gather in his left palm. "You think the Darkness won't harm you. Well, let's test that little theory, why don't we?"

Riku thrusts his hand out, unleashing the gathered Darkness in a ball of purple fire. Something in Sora's heart causes a sharp flash of pain, and he takes a cautious step back as the Darkness nears him…

"REFLEGA!" Telary's voice cuts through the anticipatory air of the entrance hall. A light flashes off the tip of his raised staff, and a sudden barrier of pure light forms around Sora. The ball hits it and it bounces off, crashing directly into the elevator shaft Sora and Beast had arrived from the castle's depths in.

Within seconds, the Disney Castle mage has fled Riku's side to stand by Sora, staff prepared to do any more damage he deems necessary.

"I won't let you hurt Sora," he declares, his eyes as hard and defiant as they have ever been.

"You would betray your king?" Riku exclaims accusatorially.

"Not the things he stands for," Telary replies. "Not things like love and real friendship. I'd imagine that if King Mickey knew I was willing to give those up to rigidly follow orders, even _he _couldn't forgive me." He looks back at his counterpart and gives her a jaunty shrug. "Sorry, Azlyn, I just couldn't…"

Azlyn sighs and vaults over the staircase's side, startling Riku. As he turns to look at her, she bashes him in the face with her shield, momentarily stunning him. Taking advantage of the moment, she also runs to Sora's side. As she skids to a stop, she smiles up at her friends.

"Looks like the plan worked perfectly, Tel!" she exclaims joyfully.

Telary looks at her as if she's just grown a second head. "Uh, what plan?"

"What plan? What _plan_?" She gives her counterpart a shocked look. "The plan to pretend to betray Sora so we could find out where Donald and Goofy were, duh!"

A moment of silence follows.

"Oh. See, I didn't actually _realize _that…"

"So what?" Riku's mocking voice returns as he slowly stalks his way into the hall's center. "You still don't have a weapon, Sora. How are you supposed to fight now, hm?"

"We'll do the fighting for him!" Telary yells back, swinging his staff to show he means business.

"I probably _am _better at it anyway," Azlyn notes playfully.

Sora puts a hand on each of the duo's shoulders, peaceably pushing past them to stand at the head of their usual triangular battle formation. "Thanks for that guys, but now I know that I don't need a weapon, not even the Keyblade. Not when I can fight with my heart!"

"Your _heart_?" Riku laughs, condescendingly shaking his head at the younger boy. "Please, what good could that weak thing possibly do for you?"

Sora shrugs. "I know that my heart can be weak, but I'm also sure, now more than ever, that it's not alone. Even at my lowest point my heart, the strength of another's heart kept me pushing through it. Y'see, my heart's grown with every new experience, and it's found a place in the hearts of every one of the friends I've made. And if they think of me now and then, our hearts will all be one… together!" Sora drops into fighting stance, gripping his wooden sword in both hands. "I don't need a weapon, Riku. That's not where my power lies. My friends are my power!"

Riku raises the Keyblade to attack, but suddenly it bursts into thin air in a flash of brilliant white light. Not a moment later, Sora's sword begins to glow with a similar aura, and in an illuminated burst, it transforms into the familiar silver form of Sora's Keyblade!

Riku stares at his hand, face a rictus of disbelief. But suddenly he seems to compose himself, the Soul Eater appearing in his hand through a dark cloud. He grips the weapon, snarling at Sora, Azlyn, and Telary.

"I _will _make you pay for this, Sora," the boy swears, swinging his sword defiantly through the air. "Keyblade or not, friends or not, you're still no match for me!"

Sora looks at Riku with pure sadness. Even despite everything that has happened, he still has no desire for a fight with his old friend.

"Step back, Sora," Azlyn growls, stepping in front of the suddenly confused Keybearer, her shield in ready position. "I know you don't want to fight your friend, but believe me when I say I've been waiting for this ever since I met him!"

Riku scoffs, striding forward confidently. "Please. As if a lackey like you could…"

Azlyn charges with a yell, leaping through the air with a flying kick. Riku sidesteps and swings, but her shield is already there to intercept.

She pushes him back and moves forward herself, swinging the shield wide to catch him with its edge. He raises the Soul Eater and pushes the attack aside, but can't get it back up in time to keep from taking a backhand to the chin.

Azlyn presses the advantage, alternating kicks and shield swings to catch her opponent off guard. The silver-haired boy dodges kicks and blocks strikes, and from the outside the pair's limbs are moving too fast to be followed visually, mere blurs in the air.

Riku turns away a kick with his leg, then drives the same appendage's knee into Azlyn's stomach. She coughs and backs away, managing to barely get her shield up to block the follow-up strike. Using her momentum to turn the blade aside, she gets Riku with a rabbit punch straight to the forehead. The boy cries out until his voice is silenced by a shield swing coming from the other way, driving him to the ground and sending blood splashing into the hall carpet. He is fallen.

Azlyn stands over him, shield raised.

"Stop!" Sora calls out, and the knight immediately lowers her arm, taking a deep breath to reaffirm her center's calm. She hears the Keybearer and Telary step to her side.

Riku pushes himself up, blood still streaming from his head wound. It's messy in the way of all head wounds, but Sora can tell it's no threat to Riku's life.

Riku snarls at the trio one last time, then waves his hand to summon a dark portal. He backs into it.

"This isn't over," he spits as the portal closes. "It's not…"

He's gone.

"Sora," Azlyn says after a moment, sounding nervous.

The Keybearer pries his eyes from the spot where the portal faded, turning to look at the knight. The look on her face is of pure apology.

"Sorry about tricking you like that," she says sincerely, meeting his eyes evenly, "I felt terrible ever single second I knew you thought I'd turned my back on you, but I needed to do it to find Donald and the captain."

Sora dismisses the Keyblade and rushes forward to put his arms around the knight. For a second she tenses, then she returns to favor, wrapping him up in her as well.

"I understand," he says, pulling back and looking her in the eyes. "If I'd seen a way to make sure Kairi was safe… I know I'd have done anything too."

They share another smile, and then Sora turns to Telary, looking a bit less charitable. The mage gulps loudly.

"You, on the other hand, just thought you were straight up betraying me," he says, though he cannot keep the teasing edge out of his voice. Sucking in air through his teeth, the Keybearer shakes his head slowly. "It's gonna take a while to get over this one, man."

"Well…" Telary replies nervously, shrugging.

Azlyn thumps him on the arm. "I was sure I was giving you plenty of clues. Did you not see the wink?"

"You did _not _wink at me. That's a lie and you know it!"

"It was supposed to be a _stealth _wink…"

"Well congratulations, you winked so stealthily even your own partner didn't notice."

Sora just stands back to watch the back-and-forth, happy to have his friends in his life once again.

_Not all your friends, _he reminds himself soberly, looking towards the exit up the entrance hall's stairway.

**KH-KH-KH**

Riku falls out of his exit portal and straight to the stony ground of the castle chapel, blood still dripping down to pool on the floor.

"I don't understand…" he chokes out, gritting his teeth against the embarrassment and inner pain. "It was mine… I _had _it!"

"The Keyblade can only be wielded by a heart that is strong and true," a deep, resonant voice sounds from behind the boy. Gasping in shock, he turns to see a man in a simple brown cloak emerge from the chapel's shadows, surrounded by an aura of deep purple.

"So you think that _my _heart is weaker than _his_?" Riku asks skeptically.

The cloaked man shrugs. "In that moment… Yes, it was. Terribly disappointing, I must say. You showed such promise before…"

Riku furrows his brows quizzically at the strange being. "What promise? When?"

"Why, when you summoned the Darkness to your islands," the cloak explains. "The door to Darkness held no terror for you. You see, Riku, you _can _become stronger, if only you're willing to do what it takes."

"What does it take?" Riku demands, stepping up to the mysterious figure with clenched fists. "How do I beat him?"

"The answer is simplicity itself, dear boy," the shadowy man replies. "Open your heart once again, and accept the Darkness into your very core."

Riku's eyes dart back and forth in his head as he weighs the options. He'd thought for certain that if offered more power he would take it without hesitation, but something about this business seems off. Strange somehow…

Another drop of blood patters against the floor, and the memory of his defeat by no less than Sora's _lackey_ washes over him, burning to his very core.

"Okay," he says, looking up as a blue aura surrounds his body, "I'll accept the Darkness. I don't care what it takes, I _will_ defeat Sora and keep Kairi… And keep _myself_ safe."

"Excellent, my boy," the cloaked man says, obviously pleased. He begins to step towards Riku, the blue of the boy's aura suddenly shifting to match his deep purple…


	32. What Heroes Do

Maleficent slowly stalks across the Heartless emblem-embroidered carpet of Hollow Bastion's Grand Hall, making her way past the sleeping forms of six Princesses, each resting in a glass case:

Snow White, Cinderella, Belle, Jasmine, Alice…

Aurora…

And sweet little Kairi, the only young woman not hooked up in a wall alcove, her glass case remaining hovering in the middle of the room. Her eyes are closed, not in the artificially induced sleep of the women surrounding her, but rather the fugue state achieved through the loss of her heart.

This moment has been years in the making, and the witch cannot help but stop and take a moment to admire her goal's near-completion.

Above the sleeping Princesses, past another landing on a platform accessible by two further staircases, one on each side, is the completed Keyhole machine, its construction newly finished by Maleficent's minions.

She calls it the Keyhole, but in actuality it is not the true pathway to the heart of Hollow Bastion. The Ansem reports she'd read initially had indicated that Keyhole was truly in the bottom of the castle, but in all her searches she had never been able to locate it, nor had any Heartless.

Luckily, in further reports Ansem spoke at great length of an alternate path to the heart of a world, a kind of construct that could only be powered by an immense source, such as the seven hearts of pure Light gathered now.

Through this pathway, Maleficent intends to access the heart of Hollow Bastion, which over the years of Heartless occupation had absorbed enough dark energy to corrupt it, like a body too long exposed to radiation begins to whither and grow sickly, but not yet enough to consign the world to the darkest depths.

Now, with the power of the Princesses to activate it, Maleficent would use her mastery of the Darkness to unleash the full power of the world's corrupted heart, and use that power to flood all worlds with Darkness, transforming them to her will. And, as soon as the universe is covered in Darkness everlasting, the Door to the deepest Darkness will appear.

As she makes her way up the last staircase, she gives her Final Keyhole one last look over. Constructed to her specifications, the construct is shaped to resemble the emblem of the Heartless, the elongated Heart that has terrified the inhabitants of countless worlds. Various long pipes and tubes run out and through it, to provide the power that will sustain the construct once the hearts of the Princesses provide it with its initial booting up energy.

She turns to the small control panel set up on the edge of the platform, where she can look down upon the Princesses' cocoons. Inputting a few initial commands to jump start the system, she can't help but reflect on how impossible technology such as this would have once seemed on her homeworld.

As the system begins to prepare itself, the witch takes a step back and readies her dark powers for the spell that will pluck the pure hearts from their carriers. Technology may have provided the framework for this scheme, but Maleficent is contented to know that only magic can make it truly successful.

"Oh purest of hearts!" she calls, feeling the triumphant powers of Darkness heed her call, surrounding the witch in a green aura that others may have called sickly, but which Maleficent can't help but think of as something distinctly _her_ color. "Awaken, and reveal to me the Keyhole!"

Below, the hearts of the Princesses react to her spell, slowly gathering to unleash their power. Six pure orbs float from the Princesses and gather in the air directly in front of the Keyhole. Joining their powers together, the hearts fire a beam of pure energy into the center of the Keyhole construct, just as Maleficent flips the activation switch.

There's a loud noise as the Keyhole receives the power boost of the pure hearts, coming to life with an elongated whine.

The power output needed from the castle to transform that initial power boost into the framework of the Keyhole momentarily dims lights all throughout the citadel, but as soon as it manages to stabilize itself things return to normal.

The six hearts combined into one emit a last bright glow before fading away, going somewhere Maleficent knows not.

Unconcerned, the witch turns to the construct, watching as a swirling energy pattern of green, black, and purple forms within the metal shape: the gate to the world's heart.

Immediately Maleficent can sense that something is wrong. The energy readouts showing on the control panel are off, not enough to fully open the path to the world's poisoned heart. There is something missing.

_Of course_, the witch thinks, glaring down at Kairi's resting place.

**KH-KH-KH**

"Aargh!" Sora cries out suddenly, falling to the floor of the Entrance Hall on his hands and knees. Azlyn and Telary immediately reach out to keep him from falling forward and into the elevator shaft they had been examining.

"Sora!" Azlyn cries out, biting her lip nervously as she looks over the boy. She can sense that behind her, Telary is doing the same. "Sora, are you okay?"

The Keybearer doesn't respond, clutching at his heart, bunching up the fabric of his jacket in his hands. His head is bowed low, and his teeth are gritted against more anguished cries.

"What's happening?" Azlyn yells at Telary, who only shrugs, just as at a loss for explanation as his counterpart.

After a moment, things seem to calm down, and Sora's entire body relaxes. After a seemingly endless minute of nothing but labored breathing, the boy manages to look up at his friends.

"Sora…?" Telary asks vaguely, looking all over the boy's body. "Sora, are you okay there? What happened Sora?"

Sora barely hears any of what Telary says, so concentrated on remembering the pain. It had been unbearable, like someone had plunged a hand into his chest and tried to extract his heart by sheer force.

The pain is gone, but something remains behind, like the echoes of a desperate cry for freedom from someone trapped behind prison bars…

"SORAAAAAAAAA!" Azlyn yells, so long and loud that the Keybearer can't help but extricate himself from his thoughts and return to the real world. His eyes finally focus, and he sees both Azlyn and Telary peering at him intently, the knight's face reddened by her vocal exertion.

"Uh, sorry about that," he apologizes, gratefully taking the arm Telary offers to help him to his feet. He shakes his head once again, doing his best to dismiss both the memories and the lingering feeling. "I felt so… I don't even have words for it. I just… I hurt."

Telary and Azlyn share concerned frowns between them.

"Maybe it was just sap feedback," Azlyn suggests with a shrug.

"Huh?"

"What are you talking about?" Sora asks.

The knight shrugs once again. "Well, it's not that your little speech back there was ineffective, I mean it got you the Keyblade back, but good gravy was it full of sap! I mean seriously 'my friends are my power'? Why don't ya just write a greeting card?"

Sora puts a hand on his hip and gives the knight a sly smile. "Well, not all of us can come up with plans that are so secret not even our partners know what they are!"

Azlyn is about to offer up a comeback when Telary steps up. "Can we just go, you guys? In case you're forgetting, we still have people to find." He glances over to the elevator shaft, so completely collapsed and clogged with debris that there is no way they can use it to go free Donald and Goofy.

"It looked like there was another shaft, maybe from the top of the castle," Sora offers. "All we have to do is get up there. It's where they're keeping Kairi anyway."

The boy frowns. How could he know that?

The trio ascend the nearest staircase, stepping back to a recessed hall with a closed door at the end. There's an impression in the door that looks like the Heartless emblem, and when Sora attempts to use the Keyblade to unlock it, he finds it does nothing.

"Damn!" Sora swears uncharacteristically, shaking his newly returned weapon in disbelief. "It's like this door was made specifically to keep the Keyblade from unlocking it! How are we supposed to get upstairs now?"

"We can just go through the library," Telary says, gesturing back into the hall with his thumb. "The door's just over there."

Azlyn frowns at him. "A library? I didn't see a library when Riku was leading us around. Did you go off on your own when I wasn't looking?"

Telary furrows his brows, thinking hard. Without a word, he turns and walks back into the Entrance Hall, turning right and heading to a set of plain wooden double doors near the stairs leading down. Gripping both handles, he pulls them back and steps inside, his companions following.

The trio find themselves in a room with a high ceiling, a chandelier swinging above, though most of the light is clearly coming from some window to the outside. On both sides of the group is a bookcase, and more of them form a kind of hallway. There are two paths, one right and one left.

"I'll take the right," Azlyn says, scratching her ear absently, and Telary follows after her, leaving Sora to head left.

He finds himself in a little alcove, a small desk and chair sitting up against a bookcase at the far end. A heavy-looking red book sits on the edge of the desk.

_He hears a sudden noise, and turns to see young Kairi and a taller little boy with a nigh-identical shade of red hair gazing up at a shelf too high for either of them to reach. They seem to be discussing something, and after a few seconds, the boy laces his fingers into a makeshift stirrup, bending low._

_Using the boy's shoulders for stability, Kairi lifts herself into his hands. Once the boy is sure she's secured, he straightens and lifts her higher into the air, where it's an easy matter to grab a thin blue hardback._

_Trouble starts, however, as the boy's stance grows shaky below. Opening his mouth to let out a panicked scream, he falls back, and Kairi plunges through the air to land on his chest._

_After a moment of dazed confusion, the girl rises and makes sure to check over the boy, who shakes his head in pure confusion._

With a sudden jolt, the figures are gone, and Sora is alone in the library, which is beginning to look much more familiar.

There's no doubt in his mind that the redheaded boy is the brother Kairi's grandma had mentioned in his last vision. It's odd to think of Kairi as someone with a sibling, but…

"Uh, Sora?" Telary's voice cuts through the boy's thoughts. Startled, the Keybearer turns to see the mage and Azlyn standing at the alcove's entrance, gazing at him quizzically. "All we found at that end was another bookshelf cutting us off. There was a book missing, but…" Suddenly the mage's eyes light up and he walks to the desk, scooping up the red book. "I think this is it! All we should have to do is put it back…" He continues muttering as he leaves the alcove, book in hand.

"Seriously Sora, are you okay?" Azlyn asks, stepping up to the boy and placing a hand on his shoulder. He looks back to see concern on her face. "Did you have another one of those attacks, or…?"

The Keybearer shrugs. "I dunno. I guess I just kinda got distracted. There's a lot of books in here."

"I hear ya," Azlyn chuckles as the pair head off after Telary. "I used to hate this place as a kid. Telary wanted to spend all his free time here, though, so…"

"What do you mean, 'this place'?" Sora asks the knight, quirking an eyebrow at her.

"Oh," Azlyn replies, like she only just now realizes what she'd said. She laughs it off with a shake of her head. "I meant libraries in general. Telary used to drag me to the one in Mouseburg all the time."

Sora nods, but something still nags him.

Up ahead, Telary places the red book carefully into the empty spot in a similar line of books sitting on a shelf just a little ways over his head. He chuckles as he does so, remembering the trouble he'd had with high shelves as a child. His growth spurt had certainly seen to the end of that.

Just as Azlyn and Sora arrive, the shelf swings back, revealing an area beyond. A few feet away is the bottom of a long, curved staircase leading up to a second level, right in front of a floor-to-ceiling window that lets in light from outside despite its rather grimy state.

Underneath the staircase sits the desk and chair that Sora immediately recognizes from his vision, which means that this place, this odd dark castle full of evil and Heartless, must be Kairi's original home, the place where she was born and raised until coming to the islands at four years old.

It's odd to think that, because even though he's always wondered, somehow Sora can't picture Kairi as being anywhere other than their islands. Not a place that she would call home, anyway.

Telary leads the group up the curving stairs to the second level. The entire back wall is covered by more bookcases, and another sits near the top of the stairway, presenting its back to it.

Telary rushes to the other side of that case, finding a small area with a desk and chair up against the low wall of the balcony. Sitting on it is another stack of partly faded parchment. The mage approaches cautiously, hoping beyond hope that…

"More Ansem reports!" he declares, organizing the bundle. He skims the titles quickly, noting that they're all labeled even numbers two to ten. He wishes he could read them all now, but he realizes that there are more pressing matters at the moment.

"Another empty spot," Azlyn points out, gesturing to a hole in a line of purple volumes on a low shelf in a bookcase against the back wall. She looks around for a loose book. "But I don't see…"

Sora looks up and spots the edge of a purple book peeking over the top of the bookcase near the stairs. Summoning the Keyblade, he leaps up and uses his weapon's tip to knock the book to the floor.

"Good job, Sora!" Telary congratulates, hefting the large tome and lugging it over to the missing spot on the back wall bookcase. With a grunt of effort he replaces it, and the case slides to the left, revealing a blue door, an _L _inscribed near the top. There are other letters after it, but they're too scratched and faded to make out.

"What do you think is in there?" Azlyn asks, straining her eyes to try and make out what comes after the "L". No matter how hard she tries, she cannot.

"Only one way to find out!" Sora says, stepping past Telary and pushing the door open. Suddenly, a large gust of wind blows through, setting everyone back a few steps out of sheer surprise.

The trio continue on through, finding themselves on a large, semicircular balcony. Most of it is surrounded by a low wire fence of bronze, except for a perhaps seven foot gap at its very edge. Just off that is a floating platform, a glowing orange crystal resting inside. Looking up, Sora can see the bottom of another balcony higher up, the elevator's most likely destination.

"Going up?" Azlyn quips, stepping out onto the platform. When her companions take a minute before following along, she scoffs at the pair. "What, are ya scared?"

Rolling their eyes, the boys join her, and with a touch to the crystal they begin to rise. Telary's eyes are fixed on the massive Heartless emblem on the castle's face, and the various whirling cogs that move within it.

Sora, meanwhile, scans the abyss for a sign of anything below it, but the fog is too dark and thick. Whatever lies underneath, if there even is anything, remains a mystery. But, for some reason, he expects that if he looks hard enough he will see a town below.

Azlyn uses her tongue to try and extricate a food particle from between her teeth.

Finally the lift arrives at the higher balcony, and the trio step off. This balcony is more or less the same design as the one below, except for the fact that an orange crystal sits on a perch right near the lift, and instead of a single blue door, wide French doors are the way back inside.

Curious, Sora steps forward, pulling the doors open and stepping into the room inside. He finds himself in what appears to be a grand dining room, a long wooden table with at least twenty chairs on either side of it being the central feature. A long purple cloth runs from one end to the other.

The table is split in two, though, as if smashed by some great fist in the midst of a tantrum. A broken chandelier, most likely the reason for the split, sits in several pieces in the middle of it.

Telary and Azlyn move to examine it, but Sora just stares.

_The table is unspoiled and most of the places are set, light from the still hanging chandelier illuminating the space._

_At the end of the table on the far side sit three children: Kairi, her brother, and a little blonde girl in a blue dress that also somehow seems quite familiar to Sora. Kairi's grandmother watches over them._

_With a loud huff of exasperation, the blonde girl bangs her fist on the table. "Urgh, I am _starving_, Miss Kairi's grandma. When is the food coming?"_

_The old woman chuckles fondly, shaking her head. "My, but you are an impatient one, child. If you just relax and let things happen as they will, I'm sure you'll be much happier."_

_"Besides," the redheaded boy says a bit pompously, his napkin tucked into his green button-up shirt, "eating in the High Dining Room is a very big honor, and it's important to show proper respect…"_

"Azlyn!" Telary's voice cuts through Sora's strange fantasy. Turning to the noise's source, he sees the knight clutching her palm, a bit of blood dribbling to drip onto the broken table.

"What happened?" Sora asks as he approaches the pair.

"I picked up some of the glass," the knight explains, hissing a bit at the pain. "Damn stuff cut my hand!"

Telary frowns at her, staff held out. "If you could just stop that squirming, I could easily…"

There's a sudden loud and familiar noise that cuts Telary off: the sound of Heartless teleporting in!

Sora whirls to see a cadre of Soldiers, along with a larger Heartless that's armored from head to toe, holding in its hand a large shield with the black face of a very angry three-eyed dog on it.

The Keybearer leaps forward with his blade drawn, knocking aside Soldiers with a few quick swipes, then swings down at the large Heartless, which brings up its shield to block. Suddenly, the dog's three eyes glow red, and it opens its mouth to unleash a red-orange fireball!

Sora stumbles back, feeling the heat of the barely avoided flame caress his body. Scowling, he moves in and dodges past the shield, striking three times against the Heartless's main form.

On the third strike, a chunk of armor falls, exposing its shadowy chest and the Heartless emblem. With a loud yell, Sora plunges the Keyblade into the exposed flesh, and the Heartless dissipates, a heart rising into the air before vanishing away.

Turning, he sees Telary bash the last Soldier to the ground. The mage takes a step back and lets out a breath, wiping a bead of sweat off his forehead.

The relief doesn't last for long, however, as another pair of armored Heartless appear, their feral shields threatening Azlyn with loud barks. Still holding her bleeding hand, the knight gives the face of one a good kick, setting it off into a whimpering whine.

More Soldiers arrive, and a few Red Nocturnes float in from the wings. Sora, Azlyn, and Telary take steps away until all three of them are standing back-to-back-to-back.

"We gotta get out of here!" Sora calls, shooting off a Fire spell at a trio of charging Soldiers. They fall back, scorched to a crisp.

"Agreed!" Telary says, swiping at a Nocturne with his staff. He manages to catch it with only a glancing blow, sending the little Heartless careening back through the air.

"Exit's blocked!" Azlyn points out, kicking down a Soldier. And indeed it is, a large pile of cracked stone and a pipe piled up against the large double door leading further into the castle.

"We'll have to go back to the balcony!" Sora points out, batting away a Soldier that had decided to go for a leaping attack.

"I'll clear the way!" Telary promises. Closing his eyes to improve focus, he raises his staff high. "Thundaga!"

A deluge of lightning bolts fall from the sky onto the enemies, eliminating the Soldiers but only serving to tick off the larger Defenders. Taking advantage of the momentary respite, the trio race for the still open French doors. Behind them they can hear the sound of more Heartless arriving, but they pay it no mind.

They pile onto the platform, but before Sora can activate the crystal, Telary turns and raises his staff one last time, accidently bumping the crystal on the balcony with his elbow in the process. At his touch, it turns from orange to blue, as does the crystal in the platform.

Telary attempts a last parting spell, but he's still too worn out from the third-tier Thunder spell, so he merely stumbles back onto the platform as Azlyn activates the crystal.

The platform begins to move, not going down but instead beginning a horizontal journey across the open air before the mechanical emblem. Looking out, Sora can see that there is another wide castle balcony waiting at the end.

The trio all slump forward to take a rest, relieved to have escaped so closely.

"I was starting to… forget about… the Heartless," Sora admits through labored breaths, giving a cheeky half-smile to his compatriots. They both return it with ones of their own.

Telary examines the Heartless emblem against the castle's side closely, sees the interlocking gears moving inside it. He knows that it didn't come with the castle, doesn't belong, and wonders why Maleficent would so feel the need to declare the fortress's dark allegiance to an otherwise dead world.

"It makes me sick, looking at that thing," Azlyn comments, her tone reminiscent of eating spoiled food. "Maleficent thinks she can just show off how big and mighty she is, that she's queen of the castle. Yuck!"

Sora nods in agreement. "I hate thinking that this is what happened to Kairi's home. It's funny, though, that this would be the place I'd…"

"_This _is where Kairi is from?" Azlyn asks incredulously. "How do you know that?"

Sora shrugs. "I… Well, I can't really say, but I keep just seeing Kairi places. She's really young but… I dunno, it's almost like they're _her_ memories."

"How could you see Kairi's memories?" Telary asks. "I mean, I'm sure you're good friends and all, but that's just… Well, it doesn't make sense."

Sora throws up his hands, obviously frustrated. "Well, if you haven't noticed, not a lot of things are making perfect sense right now, so…"

"I believe him," Azlyn pipes up. The boys turn to look at her. "I mean, hell, we've been so many places and done so much freaky crap, seeing other people's memories barely cracks the top ten. Besides, I… Well, I didn't want to say this, but I've been hearing things." She looks away, out towards the deep fog below. "That's why I touched that chandelier. I thought I heard somebody say something about daring me to touch it, so…"

"Speaking of which, Cure!" Telary says, green magic repairing the cut in his counterpart's hand. "And, by the way, I think this place is messing with all of us, because I swear I've known where practically everything in this place was going to be the moment I got here. The library, that dining room… I can't say how, I just feel it instinctually." He looks up to the mechanical emblem. "But I feel just as strongly that _that _thing should be here."

Sora cracks a grin. "I can't believe we're really losing it this close to the finish line, guys. And I had so much hope."

All three of them laugh, only stopping when the platform halts with a lurch. Looking up, they can see that they've arrived at yet another balcony, this one with a recessed staircase leading down to a darkened doorway.

The group solemnly marches down, and when they walk through they find themselves in a long hallway, two massive doors at the end.

"The chapel," Telary says, sounding as certain as he ever has. He steps forward.

Just as the mage's foot falls against the floor, shadowy portals emerge from the walls and floor and even the ceiling. Dark creatures crawl through, like Shadow Heartless but taller and more sinewy strong, two long black tails growing from their foreheads and drooping down their backs. Blue markings like tattoos run across their skin, and beneath yellow eyes lie jagged maws.

The Neoshadows pour out of the dark holes like ants from a hive, bearing their teeth or flashing wickedly sharp claws.

The trio produces their weapons, gathering strength to cut through the pitch black horde. Eyes narrow, hands shift grip, legs search for better footing.

The Neoshadows charge as a group, something like deadly smiles flashing across their fanged jaws.

The battle is on.

**KH-KH-KH**

The low hum of the Keyhole construct is the kind of repetitive sound one might find soothingly repetitious as it fills the air of the Grand Hall.

Maleficent does not.

Once more she checks over the readings on the control board, searching for some indication that something has changed. Once more she is disappointed.

The witch slams her staff to the ground, an appreciably piercing sound rising up from the impact point to engulf the entire room, a welcoming break from the monotonous hum.

"So, I see that the path has been revealed at last," Riku's voice says, from thin air as far as Maleficent can tell. Still, she barely reacts to the surprise, merely pretends to press a few more buttons on the control panel, as if she wasn't bothered at all.

"Yes, it seems our Keyhole to Darkness is nearly functional," she says, turning around. As she does, she notes that Riku is wearing new attire. "My, what a fashionable statement you're making."

The boy's yellow shirt has become white as fresh snow, black leather straps forming an X across his chest. His pants are black instead of blue, held up by a white belt, and his boots have become white with black soles. He wears a long, white short-sleeved coat as well, completely unzipped, a metal Heartless emblem without the red lines inside its heart bridging the gap between its two halves. A high collar covers most of his neck.

All told, Maleficent can't help but admit that he looks rather dashing, in a dangerous way.

"Well, I wanted to look my best when the Darkness inside this world's heart is finally allowed to consume it," he replies with a sardonic shrug, turning back to look at the Keyhole. "Soon, every part of this place will be destroyed by pure Darkness."

Maleficent steps up beside him and gives a nonchalant shrug. "I care not. After all of my preparations, there is little the Darkness can do to me. Rather _I _am its master, and with the power it lends me I shall rule all worlds."

Riku nods, apparently impressed. "My, but you are a confident one. I can see now why you were chosen."

Maleficent looks at the boy with a quirked eyebrow. She opens her mouth to ask for clarification, but instead is startled into silence when, in a burst of deep violet light, Riku summons a Keyblade.

It closely resembles Sora's, but the rounded shaft is midnight black instead of silver, and it ends in a sharp point rather than a rounded one. Its teeth form the outline of half a heart, and red metal encircles its black hilt. No keychain dangles from it.

"Impressive," the witch admits, looking it over. "Certainly more impressive than that oversized housekey the other boy carries. But, I'm afraid that it will do us no good, for the moment."

Riku turns to the jade-skinned woman and nods. He turns more and looks to the ledge above, where Kairi rests in the seventh and final cocoon. Maleficent watches the boy's reaction, anticipating an outburst from seeing his friend moved.

He hardly reacts, only gazing up at her clinically. Maleficent makes a happy mental note of his apparent new maturity.

"She cannot release her power without her heart," Riku says, startling the witch with his knowledge. "And without that power, my machine cannot function."

A sudden crash, like thunder in a bottle, rises up in the room, far away but obviously very powerful.

"So, it seems that your old friend and the king's lackeys have arrived, doubtless hoping to thwart us spectacularly at the last minute," Maleficent notes with a dismissive chuckle. "After all, that is what heroes do, is it not?"

"They cannot be allowed to interfere," Riku states plainly, turning to gaze once again into the swirling depths of the incomplete Keyhole.

Maleficent nods. "Don't trouble yourself, I'll see to them personally. Stay here and guard the Princesses. I shan't be long."

She moves down the stairs to the landing, then descends again into the Princess holding area. With a last glance over her shoulder to check that Riku isn't looking, she raises a finger to surreptitiously clean her ear.

It might just have been her, but the witch swears she heard something off in the boy's voice. /

**KH-KH-KH**

With a mighty kick, Sora knocks the chapel's doors inward, rushing in with the Keyblade at the ready. Azlyn and Telary are at his heels, weapons prepared for more conflict.

The room is empty.

Confused, the trio walk down the long hall into the main circular area, the only light coming filtered through a large glass window in the ceiling. In the middle of the light sits a table, a large bowl full of water resting on it. Ghastly gargoyles, part raven and part lion, stare down from several points above the room. Inscribed in the stone wall above the table is a thorny outline of the Heartless emblem.

"Um, hello!" Azlyn calls out. "Bad guys, where are you? We're here to fight you!"

"Well, uh, maybe through that door," Telary says, gesturing to a set of double doors inset in the right wall.

"Or this one," Sora says, pointing at a single door on the left. Beside it, a black key dangles from a metal hook.

"Well, Telary, apparently you're the one with the super locator sense," Azlyn says, prompting a gulp from the mage. "Where are we supposed to go?"

Telary looks from one door to the other, trying to reach for the instinctual feelings that have guided him thus far. But, it seems that they only work when he isn't trying.

He shrugs. "I don't know! Maleficent could be anywhere…"

Suddenly a circular portal of pure Darkness appears just beyond the table with the scrying pool, directly beneath the Heartless symbol.

"This is just a wild, random guess," Azlyn deadpans, "but I've got a pretty good feeling that spooky portal is a good way to go."

The trio form up in front of the portal, Sora in the lead, Azlyn back to the left, and Telary to the right.

"Alright guys," Sora says, infusing as much unwavering confidence into his voice as he can, "let's do this."

They step forward, and for a moment reality itself seems to bend around them.

After the initial disorientation, which seems to affect Azlyn and Telary more potently than Sora, the group find themselves in a large circular room, the only light coming from gaping holes in the ceiling that let in the sunlight. Giant, thick stalks of thorns encircle the entire chamber, and behind that can be seen a mess of thick pipes, running in and out of walls and twisting all around each other.

Maleficent stands in the center, a pleased smile across her lips.

"So, you have finally arrived," the witch gloats amusedly, casting her gaze over the trio. "I must say, I am quite impressed you managed to come this far. I've been watching, you know, as you cut down my cohorts, destroying them one by one."

"So, you know we mean business!" Azlyn yells, shaking her fist at the jade-skinned woman.

"It may surprise you to hear this, but I actually owe you all quite a lot of thanks," she says, completely ignoring what Azlyn just said. "By eliminating those fools who thought themselves my equals, you saved me the trouble of doing so myself. So, you see, you've actually been quite useful to me."

"What makes you think that things are gonna turn out any different for you, huh?" Sora asks, stepping up and summoning the Keyblade into his hand. "I know you've got Kairi, and I made a vow to rescue her, but now that I know about all the worlds you destroyed, the people you left homeless, and everyone you've killed, I also promised that I'd get them the justice they deserve!"

"And you're gonna pay for attacking my castle and kidnapping Donald and Goofy!" Azlyn adds, unlimbering her shield from her back.

Telary has no smack talk to offer. He can sense the sheer magical power that Maleficent holds, as astronomically different from any other foe since Jafar's genie form as night and day. This battle won't be easy, not by a longshot.

"Be careful guys," he cautions his headstrong compatriots. "She's got power like I've never felt from a human being before!"

There's a flash of violet light, and suddenly Riku appears in the room. Sora is so shocked by his friend's darker attire and appearance that he feels compelled to take a step back.

He stares at Riku's eyes, and instead of their normal blue, finds golden irises looking back at him.

"She has more power than you know," Riku declares, his voice seeming off somehow, as if someone with a deeper tone is speaking his words simultaneously. Somewhere in the back of Sora's mind, a vague recollection of the tone stirs. "Even more than she knows, truthfully."

Maleficent fixes him with a bewildered look. Ignoring her, Riku summons his dark Keyblade to his hand.

"What the hell?" Azlyn exclaims, backpedaling a dozen steps, bumping hard into Telary. "Is that a…?"

"Yes, a Keyblade," Riku gloats, and for a moment it seems the deep tone overtakes his normal sound. "But unlike yours, this Keyblade is special. For you see, it has the power to unlock people's hearts, reveal who they truly are inside." Scratching his chin lightly, Riku turns to Maleficent with an amused grin. "I wonder, Maleficent… What lies inside _you_?"

Without another word, he plunges the spiked black tip into the witch's heart. After a moment, he pulls it out and takes a step back, looking Maleficent over from head to toe, like a researcher examining a lab animal.

The witch is doubled over in pain, clutching at her heart in a way that draws compassion even from her enemies. Telary actually covers his eyes it's so unbearable to watch.

Suddenly, though, a green glow begins to emit from the wound, and Maleficent's face actually perks up, a sick, twisted, _mad_ smile stretching across her features.

"Oh, this is what I have been waiting for, the power of true Darkness I have always desired!" She casts her gaze over the trio, a wicked fire blazing in her yellow eyes. They all take a fearful step back, and Riku merely laughs before disappearing once more. "Now, you shall truly deal with me, the Mistress of All Evil, and all the powers of DARKNESS!"

A column of green and purple fire erupts around her, the heat intense enough to feel even from where the trio stand. Sora risks a look, and sees that inside the column, Maleficent's black silhouette is beginning to grow, shifting and changing into something entirely inhuman. There's a final explosion, and a purple haze covers the room.

When the haze fades, Maleficent as she had been is gone, and an enormous black dragon stands in her place. She looks down at the pitiful trio with blazing eyes of pupilless yellow, green flames flowing from her long snout and up past the tips of her horns. Her massive black tail thumps once on the ground, hard enough to shake the whole tower. Sinewy black wings emerge from her back, and her four paws each possess enormous purple claws.

In short, she's trouble.

"Look out!" Telary yells as the dragon roars, unleashing a blast of green and black fire directly onto the group. They all scatter, Telary and Azlyn dodging left while Sora jumps right.

Seeing them separated, Maleficent's head dives towards Sora, her sharp-toothed maw snapping down on him. He backpedals to dodge, and brings down an overhand chop directly into her skull.

The unmistakable sound of a pained howl erupts from the dragon's throat, and Azlyn and Telary leap over the leftover flames to bash at the former witch's head as well.

After a moment, Maleficent's head snaps back up, flinging away the group. Azlyn backflips in midair and lands on her feet, but finds herself knocked aside by a claw, flung to the floor not far away.

Maleficent's head snaps to her position, and flames gather in her mouth. Before she can fry the knight crispy, however, Sora and Telary skid into her path, both on one knee with weapons raised.

"Blizzaga!" they cry out in unison, unleashing a torrent of icy energy that freezes out the fire before its fury can be unleashed.

Maleficent shakes her scaly head, roaring bloody murder all the while. She raises a paw up and slams it to the ground, creating a shock wave that destabilizes the boys.

Azlyn, however, is lying on the ground and therefore takes the shaking much easier, rising quickly. Noticing Maleficent's other front paw raised above her friends, she dives in front of them, catching the claw on her golden shield with a heavy _thunk_. The impact shakes her to the core, but she stands firm while Sora and Telary rise, recovered.

Another flame blast greets the trio, who once again manage to more or less dodge. Unluckily for Telary, a bit of fire lands on his pant leg, and by the time he can put it out magically, there's a deep burn on his right thigh, the blackened skin exposed to the air.

With an angry roar to rival even the dragon's, Azlyn rears back her shield and throws it forward, knocking Maleficent right between her eyes. The former witch howls, her tail shaking violently.

That manages to catch Sora, who strikes at the dragon's side only to realize that the black scales are too thick. All of Maleficent's new form seems to be heavily armored, minus the purple flesh of her underbelly.

Lifting himself from the ground, Sora has a sudden spark of an idea in his brain.

"Hey Maleficent!" he calls, drawing the great beast's attention away from Azlyn and Telary. "Do you really think this is what true Darkness is about? Being an oversized lizard?"

A burst of fire shoots out of the former witch's mouth, but Sora merely raises his Keyblade and deflects it.

"See?" he says confidently. "You may think the Darkness is all powerful, but the truth is, it can never stand up to the Light! In the end, Light will always beat Darkness, and I'll _always _beat you!"

Enraged, Maleficent rears up on her back legs, fire blazing in her mouth, prepared to deliver its full force to the Keybearer, and with it all the powers of Darkness.

Sora doesn't let it get anywhere near that far. With a grunt that is equal parts exertion and defiance, he rears the Keyblade back and throws it.

The blade whistles through the air, surrounded by a nimbus of light, and plunges into the very heart of the dragon. Maleficent screams, a long, high, inhumane sound, as the lights surrounding the Keyblade glow even brighter, until nothing can be seen in the room but a soft bright light.

The light fades, and the dragon is gone, only a greasy spot and a high collared black and purple coat on the ground, the Keyblade resting on top of it.

As green flame disintegrates the thorns around the room, Sora summons his weapon back to his hand.

"Aw, nice!" he says, mostly to himself. "I just slayed a literal dragon!"

He smiles.

"Well, that _is _what heroes do, isn't it?" Riku's mocking voices note scornfully, his body appearing suddenly over Maleficent's leftover cloak. He looks down at it, something like pity in his eyes. "How sad. In the end, she was just another puppet."

Telary's brows knit together in confusion. "What do you mean?"

When Riku looks up, his gaze is directed not at the mage but Sora, who stands staring numbly at his old friend.

"Maleficent thought that she was in control of Darkness, that it bowed to her whim," Riku explains softly. "But the Heartless were using her the entire time. This wasn't even her scheme to begin with." A smile slowly spreads across his lips. "For all her lecturing about treating the Darkness carefully, in the end she could not see it decaying her own heart." The boy stomps his foot down on the cloak, a small red gem rolling out of it to rest at Sora's feet. "Ironic, isn't it?" With a last glance at Sora, Riku disappears once again.

Sora picks up the gem at his feet, so similar to the one that had summoned Simba in Traverse Town, and pockets it before joining Azlyn and Telary in standing over the fallen witch's cloak.

"Well, here she is," Azlyn says, scuffing her boot on the cloak. "Our big bad enemy, nothing but a fancy coat and a smear."

Sora shakes his head solemnly. "It's still not over. Not as long as Riku has Kairi. If I didn't trust him with her before, I definitely don't now."

"Yeah what _is _up with him?" Azlyn asks, bewildered. "I mean, that new outfit, the freaky Keyblade, his _voice_…?"

Sora turns and heads back through the portal into the chapel. After giving each other a look, Azlyn and Telary follow suit.

When the Disney Castle duo emerge, they see Sora staring at the door now to their left.

"Riku's in there," he says, his voice flat. "And that's where Kairi is too, I know it." the Keybearer takes a strong step forward. "If I want to save her, I'm going to have to fight him for real this time. Myself."

Azlyn steps up and places a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, we'll be there to back you up! And Keyblade or not, I still…"

Sora shakes his shoulder until the knight loses grip, her hand falling back to her side. He looks over his shoulder at her, then turns the rest of his body to face his friends.

Azlyn, strong and stalwart, brave and true, and under an exterior layer of "back off" toughness, possessing one of the most passionate, kind hearts the boy has ever seen.

Telary, a frightened man willing to put aside fear, a technical genius, but able to put back together broken people even more aptly than broken machinery.

Together they have been unstoppable, facing every challenge and foe that has been thrown at them, moving from strangers to friends to an odd sort of family unit in a matter of only days.

"I have to do this alone," Sora says, maybe the hardest thing he's ever said. "You guys go rescue your masters, I'll handle Riku. I have to face him alone. It's the only way I can still reach him." He sighs, a tear falling freely from his eye. "And if he can't be reached… Then I'll do what I have to."

Telary rushes forward to fold the younger boy into a tight embrace, and it's only seconds later that Azlyn follows suit. They stay like that for a long time, just taking in each other's presence.

After a minute, Sora shrugs out of their hold, stepping back and giving them each a resolute nod.

"We'll see you soon, Sora," Telary says solemnly, not a doubt in his mind that they will. Azlyn nods as well, barely choking back a sob.

Turning, Sora pushes through the double doors into a long hallway. Taking a last deep breath, he walks towards his destiny, to fight against his oldest friend and save the girl he loves.

After all, that's what heroes do.


	33. The Seeker of Darkness

Telary elects to not watch Sora go, instead racing to the far door and pulling the black skeleton key off its hook. Azlyn lets her gaze linger a minute, then turns to join her counterpart.

The door is unlocked, and the pair set off down a curving, enclosed stairwell.

"Oh, there is no way I'm walking down an entire castle's worth of stairs," Azlyn complains as the pair begins to descend, passing green wall-mounted candles every few feet. "You remember when we tried to do that as kids? It took us forever, your asthma acted up, and I nearly hurled chunks."

Telary spares a backwards glance for his counterpart. "You keep confusing this place for Disney Castle, Azlyn. What's up with that?"

The knight shrugs. "What's up with anything that's going on?"

Telary has to admit that's not a bad point.

Luckily, the pair manage to find an elevator after walking down a few feet of stairs, piling onto the rather small platform and activating the orange crystal inside.

"I can't believe this is finally happening," Azlyn says quietly as their descent begins. The metal shaft is cold enough that she puts her hood up and rubs her arms for warmth. "Starting out, I used to imagine Captain Goofy as this big, invincible kind of guy, y'know? I remember this one time a bunch of girls in my class were making fun of me, and he came up and just gave them this look. It wasn't even threatening, just steady. And they never bothered me again." She smiles. "And now here I am, rescuing him. It's funny how things can change, isn't it?"

Telary nods, but it's hard for him to focus on the words of his counterpart when he knows that Sora is back up in the castle facing maybe the most difficult battle of his life. It seems that a handful of seconds don't go by without the image of Sora being run through with that wicked black blade, just like Maleficent was, coming to mind.

_Have faith, Telary_, a female voice suddenly echoers in his head. He looks down at Azlyn, but she's just staring out at the slowly descending shaft.

Just as smooth metal gives way to roughly cut stone, the knight turns back to him, one eyebrow quirked. "Uh, are you okay?"

"You didn't just, uh, tell me to have faith, did you?"

Azlyn looks at him like he's just asked her to run away with him to the circus. "Uh, no I didn't. I was telling you a story about… Have you not been listening to me at all?"

The mage backs up as much as he can on the small platform, tugging nervously at his collar.

"Well, in my defense," he points out, once he has the nerve, "what percentage of the time would you imagine you're listening to everything I say?"

She snorts and gives him a sly smile. "I'm sorry, could you repeat that? I only got about half."

They both laugh, but it ceases abruptly when the car lurches to a halt. They've arrived, just a last bit of curved staircase to go until the dungeon. They step off carefully, just as a squawky cry of surprise sounds from down the staircase. Moments later, Goofy's unmistakable voice lets out a similar sound.

Without hesitation, the pair rush down the stairs, Azlyn kicking the door open at the bottom. They roll into the room, ready to fight.

And it's clearly a fight they're going to get; Heartless are inside Donald and Goofy's cells, attacking them!

"Azlyn!" Goofy cries out backing away from an advancing Soldier.

"Telary!" Donald yells, frantically and hopelessly trying to shoo off a bouncing pair of Powerwilds. "I can't use my magic while the cell is locked shut. I hope you have the key!"

"Yes, Master Donald!" Telary assures his mentor, reaching into his pocket and pulling out the necessary key. He stumbles forward and inserts it into the cell's lock, but it doesn't fit! "Uh oh."

Azlyn bumps him aside, snatching the key away. She examines it, then sighs as she exasperatedly turns it over. "It was upside down, you clod!" She sticks it in and turns, and there's a sudden flash of violet light.

Donald smiles, feeling the power of magic flow back into him for the first time in days. He raises his hands and prepares a spell.

"Cover your ears, everybody! Sonaga!" He cries out, and with a wiggle of his fingers produces a massive _boom_ of pure sound, loud enough to knock back the Heartless in the cells, and disorient them as well.

Wasting no time, Azlyn pulls the key from Donald's cell's lock and plunges it into Goofy's. As she opens it, Telary moves forward to open the door to his master's cell.

The duck and dog get out quickly, and to their surprise their apprentices charge in without hesitation. Azlyn brings her shield down on the Soldier hard enough to destroy it, and Telary uses a Blizzara spell to freeze both Powerwilds before smashing them into chunks with his heavy staff. Finished, they somehow manage to wordlessly coordinate perfect turns, coming around to face their mentors with big smiles.

Those smiles fade quickly, though, as the sound of metal feet treading on stone ground suddenly fills the cell. Azlyn and Telary rush forward and out into the hall, coming face to face with another party of four Soldiers, two Large Bodies plodding along behind them.

Donald and Goofy join the pair, and the Royal Magician lets out a frightened squawk, jumping several feet into the air at the sight.

"Gwarsh, that's a lot of Heartless," Goofy says with a cautious gulp, taking a few steps back along with the rest of the quartet.

"Oh, please," Azlyn scoffs, confidently swinging her shield twice through the air. "This is nothing compared to what me and Telary have seen. Piece of cake."

Donald is about to express his skepticism when the knight charges, leaping through the air and bashing a Soldier to the ground. Telary follows suit, knocking another Heartless back with a two handed swing of his staff.

"C'mon Goofy!" Donald yells, a rallying cry to arms. "We can't let the kids get all the action. Charge!"

A blow from one Large Body's fist knocks Azlyn back a few steps, and the massive creature takes another step forward, its fist swinging menacingly.

"Oh no you don't!" Donald cries, pointing towards the ceiling. "Gravity Crush!" A purple half-sphere falls through the air, the increased weight of it crushing the Large Body to the ground where it pops like a balloon.

Goofy, brave even sans his shield, jumps up on the back of the other Large Body, kicking at its vulnerable hind with his massive foot, distracting it long enough to give Telary a moment to prepare a Fira spell that crisps the Heartless to within an inch of its life. One last kick from the Captain of the Guard knocks it right out of existence.

The quartet from Disney Castle take a moment to catch their breaths after the encounter, Goofy exchanging smiles with both Telary and his own student.

"Gee, you guys've gotten pretty good at beatin' up on Heartless, haven't ya?" the dog says with an impressed laugh.

"They did all right," is all Donald allows with a miniscule shrug, his arms folded crossly. "For a couple of ship thieves!"

Azlyn opens her mouth and steps forward, obviously on the edge of saying something angry back to the diminutive wizard.

"Now Donald, that's enough!" Goofy says instead, much to the shock of everyone present in the underground chamber. "I understand you're upset that Azlyn and Telary, uh, disobeyed ya. To tell you the truth, so am I." He turns to look at the apprentices, who both stare back numbly, shocked. "But I'm also pretty dang proud of 'em, yup! Even from just the one fight now, I can tell that them Heartless fellas are tough ones to beat, and these guys did it no sweat!"

"_With _our help…" Donald counters, but Goofy just shakes his head.

"And just imagine how many of 'em they've fought _without _our help, huh pal?"

"Hundreds," Azlyn chimes in smugly, winking at the mallard magician. "Some of them were as big as…" Telary rolls his eyes, and Azlyn stops bragging.

"And do ya know what all this really means, Donald?" Goofy asks. When the Royal Magician shakes his head, Goofy's smile gets even bigger, and he places a hand on the duck's shoulder. "It means you an' me were good teachers, ahyuck!"

Donald sighs, then looks from Goofy to the students. "Aw, I guess you're right Goofy. I'm sorry I've been so hard on you kids." He steps up to Telary and looks way up at the young man's eyes. "You most of all, Telary. I know I've treated you pretty bad this past year, and it was a real big mistake, 'cause you're one of the best sorcerer's I've ever seen." He looks down at the floor, his webbed foot twisting back and forth nervously. "But to tell you the truth, the real reason I was treated you like a servant is _because _you're so great. I guess I was just kinda worried that you'd take over my job."

"Is that why you were holding _me _back too, Captain?" Azlyn asks Goofy.

The knight frowns. "Well, to tell the truth you're a bit of a loose cannon. You know we give tours to the Mouseburg Elementary students, and I was kinda worried about what would happen if your name got drawn in the raffle."

All four let out a hearty laugh at the thought of Azlyn dealing with inquisitive children.

"I forgive you, Master, and accept your apology," Telary says bending to one knee and leaning down to look the wizard at eye level. "But I'm not sure about _everything_ you said. After all, it's because of your lessons I'm even still alive. And the Keybearer, Sora, for that matter."

"Thanks, Telary," Donald says, wrapping his feathered arms around his apprentice's neck in a big hug. After a moment he backs off, eyeing the pair warily once again. "Now, what was this I heard about you two _abandoning _a friend in his time of need?"

Telary looks to Azlyn, who groans loudly. "For the last time, there was a _plan_!" /

**KH-KH-KH**

Without sparing a backward glance for his companions, Sora pushes through the double doors, finding himself in another long hallway. About halfway through sits an elevator platform, blue crystal pulsing inside.

Sora ignores it, heading straight for the door at the end. Above the wood is a rectangle of stained glass, yellow with a white heart at the center.

Sora takes a deep breath, then opens the door and walks in, finding himself immediately in another small antechamber, a massive set of iron double doors blocking further progress. He takes a pair of steps across the red carpet leading in from the door, and the iron gate retracts into the wall by itself, each half moving into a niche on either side.

He steps forward into a larger hall, red carpet with a large blue rug lying above it, the Heartless emblem stitched into the fabric. Beyond that is a red carpeted staircase that leads to a higher landing, and two staircases on either side that lead to a third high platform. Above that he can make out some kind of hideous machine, orange brass forged into the shape of the Heartless emblem, with an oddly swirling whorl of color inside, green and maroon and a shocking dash of shadowy black.

The blue light from the flames burning in huge golden pots near the rug, three on each side, catches his eye. He looks left and right and sees that embedded in the walls are six silvery glass cases. Inside each one, a young woman sleeps.

Recognizing with horror that Alice is one of the cases, the boy rushes to her, pressing his hands against the sparkling glass and peering in. Her eyes are closed, looking peaceful enough, but there can certainly be no peace in such a state.

Curious, he turns to the other wall and sees Jasmine in the center case between two young women, one of whom he recognizes as Beast's sweetheart Belle.

He eyes each case carefully once again, but finds that Kairi is in none of them.

_I'm here, Sora, _her voice suddenly calls to him, the words and sounds whipping through his mind without his ears picking them up. Her voice sounds strong. _I'm here. Don't worry, the others are on their way, I can wait…_

"No, Kairi," he says out loud, his words echoing off the high ceiling of the grand room. "I'm saving you _now_. It's been too long since we've been together!"

_Oh, Sora_, Kairi's soft voice chides him as he makes his way up the stairs, to the platform where he knows she must be. _We've been together this whole…_

"Kairi!" he calls, seeing his friend's prone form laying on the platform. It angers him, somehow, that she doesn't even warrant her own case. He takes her in his arms, frowning at her unresponsive form. "Kairi, please!" He begins to shake her, hoping that somehow he can rouse her from this dark slumber. "Just open your eyes, Kairi, please!"

"That will do her no good, I assure you," a deep, smugly satisfied voice informs Sora from somewhere above. As soon as Sora hears it, he swears that there's more to it, some sort of undertone that he recognizes, a sound that is distinctly…

"Riku!" Sora cries, looking up above the odd construct to see his friend, still attired in his dark clothes and white coat, standing atop the portal, dark Keyblade clutched in one hand. Sora cannot believe that his oldest friend has really gone so far…

Then he looks into fiery golden eyes, and suddenly things all fall into place, the realization slamming into him like a tidal wave.

"You… You're not Riku!" he accuses the man who has stolen his friend's face, looking down on him with an expression of self-assured smugness that Sora could never imagine Riku wearing, not in a million years.

"No, I'm afraid that I am not," whoever has possessed Riku says, taking a casual step off his perch, beginning a slow descent to the ground. After a moment he lands, still wearing a smirk that Sora instinctively hates.

"So, you're the one who's been making Riku do all that evil stuff!" Sora declares, laying Kairi gingerly on the ground and standing up to defiantly face this dark stranger. "All the kidnapping and scheming and…"

Not-Riku shakes his head, laughing sardonically, like there's some big joke only he knows the punchline of. "I'm afraid that I've only just recently been granted the boon of your friend's body." He takes a step forward, eyes flashing. "And, in truth, I owe even that to Riku's own dark deeds. Just like Maleficent, the Darkness _he _allowed in ate at his heart despite the confidence he had it would not."

Sora closes his eyes as he watches his momentary hope fade into darkness. After he's composed himself, he returns his gaze to Riku's enslaver, clear blue eyes meeting gold.

"But who _are _you?" Sora asks, at a loss as to who could benefit from all this chaos, this destruction.

"It is I," the man declares, spreading Riku's arms wide and giving a slight bow, like an actor at curtain call, "Ansem, the Seeker of Darkness!"

Sora's eyes bug and his mouth drops open at the sound of the familiar name, so shocked that he numbly feels himself taking a step backwards.

"B-but, that can't be right!" he shouts defiantly, shaking his head. "Leon and Aerith and those guys, they all talked about how you were such a good ruler, and kind and smart and…"

Ansem laughs, and the sight and sound of the twisted, pure evil noise coming from Riku's mouth stokes an even greater fire in Sora.

"Oh, I must agree with the assessment that I am 'smart', though I confess that it seems a rather small word to encompass the true expanse of my intellect." Another sickening smirk crosses Riku's lips. "Especially in comparison to you, you simple _boy_. I know all that there is to know, and you know so little…"

The words spark an immediate reaction in Sora's brain, and in a quick moment all the details of a mysterious encounter in the Secret Spot flood the boy's mind.

"I… I saw you on the island. Before…"

Riku's head nods an acknowledgement. "Yes, we have met, though sadly at the time I was merely a dark center without a shell to encompass my great power." He tilts his head and regards Kairi. "Speaking of shells…"

Sora instinctively steps in front of his friend's body, fists clenched in fury.

"I was more referring to my Keyhole, to tell the truth," Ansem clarifies, gesturing with a thumb to the construct behind him.

"That doesn't look like any Keyhole _I've_ sealed!"

"Oh, it isn't. In truth, it isn't even an actual Keyhole, only a conduit. The real entrance to this world's heart is far below the castle, in a place I have assured that even the Heartless cannot find. I needed this world intact, you see, fed on a steady diet of Darkness from the Heartless's occupancy, for my plan to work." He takes another step, down one stair from the area in front of the Keyhole. "But of course, without your friend I'm afraid it cannot be truly complete. Not while the last Princess of Heart still sleeps."

Sora's eyes widen in shock, and he turns to regard Kairi's fallen form. "Princess? What do you…?" He looks back to Ansem, mouth agape. "Kairi's a princess?"

"In a… manner of speaking," Ansem confirms. "It was Maleficent that came up with the term, and I suppose it is apropos. But the title is ultimately meaningless. As is the Keyhole, without her heart." He swings his Keyblade menacingly. "It is high time that she awoke, and lent her power to complete my Keyhole."

Suddenly, the agonizing feeling Sora had felt back in the Entrance Hall returns, only this time it hits him twice as painfully. He cries out and clutches his heart, unable to escape the pain for even a second. He collapses to the ground, on his hands and knees before Ansem.

"Ah, yes, the Princess's heart responds!" the self-styled Seeker of Darkness announces, his head thrown back in pure triumph. "Don't you see, you foolish boy? All of this time, all throughout your journey, Kairi's heart has rested within you!"

Memories flash through the pain, all of the moments Sora had thought he'd seen Kairi: The treehouse, Merlin's, the scenes from his friend's childhood… All because Kairi was _inside_ of him!

He remembers now, the way her body had disappeared into thin air after falling into him, flung from the ground by the pure Darkness rushing from the Keyhole, spreading to destroy his home.

"And now, at last, I shall have the power I deserve!" Ansem proclaims, raising his black Keyblade high above his head. "I release you now, Princess…"

The pain in Sora's chest is nigh unbearable, so intense and direct and prolonged that he only barely manages to fight through, struggling to regain his strength, do anything he can to prevent what happened to his island, his _home_, from happening once more, this time on a universal scale…

"…Open the door, and lead me into everlasting Darkness!"

The dark Keyblade begins to fall, coming at Sora in what seems like slow motion, like he's in some sort of action movie where only at the last second will he…

_Sora!_

At the sound of Kairi's voice in his head once more, the pain vanishes from Sora's chest without a trace, not even an echo to distract him.

In a flash his Keyblade, Kingdom Key, the true weapon of the Realm of Light, springs into his hand, parallel to the ground, his other hand bracing the smooth shaft…

The dark Keyblade, a twisted echo meant to do evil, created from captive hearts to destroy the Realm of Light and all who inhabit it, clashes against its opposite and equal, and finds that it cannot overcome it.

Ansem grunts, taking advantage of all the strength his pilfered body possesses to try and push Sora's key down. No matter how hard he tries, however, he cannot.

"You can forget _that_!" Sora declares, pushing against the weight of the dark key. It feels like trying to lift a bus with his teeth, but in his heart, and Kairi's within it, he finds the power necessary. With a last grunt, he pushes away Ansem's Keyblade, sending the man in Riku's body stumbling back. Sora looks him in the eyes, suddenly more serious and threatening and powerful than he has ever been in his life. "There's no way you're taking Kairi's heart!"

Ansem's scowl fades, and he shakes his head in bemusement. "Ah, why does nothing ever get done the easy way?"

Sora's only response is a yell of rage and defiance as the boy sprints forward, pulling the Keyblade back for a sweeping overhand slash.

Ansem raises his Keyblade in one hand, blocking the chop before it can land. There's a brief moment of struggle with the Keyblades locked together, then the seeker of Darkness manages to push the Kingdom Key aside. Sora recovers remarkably well though, bringing the Keyblade back towards Ansem in a horizontal slash.

Ansem barely has time to recover, leaping back to avoid being slashed. He smiles, directing it at Sora.

"This is quite the nimble little body your friend has," the man notes, looking it up and down.

Angered, Sora strikes again, another two-handed power blow. Ansem dodges, but instead of taking advantage of the perfect opening, he merely backs away. Sora whirls to face him, coming at the madman with precise diagonal strikes.

"And so _handsome_, too," Ansem notes, barely missing a syllable as he intercepts each strike with his Keyblade. "It so reminds me of my own, when I was a bit younger of course. Perhaps I'll keep it permanently."

Sora chops downward again, but Ansem sweeps to the side. Grinning, he kicks the boy in the side, sending him staggering back.

Sora looks over his opponent, from the outward familiarity of Riku's legs and chest and face to the chilling strangeness of Ansem's maniacal eyes. That's where the core of the corruption is, the only real sign of difference in his best friend. Somewhere in his heart, he can't help but wonder…

Ansem laughs aloud, like he can see the thoughts behind Sora's eyes and they amuse him greatly. "If you're worried about damaging your precious friend's body, do not be. After all, any damage you do will matter not once I am sufficiently empowered to create new one." He sidesteps, and Sora makes sure to mirror every movement. "And trust me, Riku himself, as he once was, cannot even feel this in the slightest. In fact, unless my theory is wrong, and believe me when I say that is _highly _unlikely, the Realm of Darkness is giving your fallen friend _quite _the lesson in the arena of pain."

_Get him Sora! _Kairi's voice erupts in Sora's mind again, taking the boy aback with as much aggression and anger as it contains. _We can help Riku later. For now, you just need to take this guy out!_

With Kairi's words guiding him, Sora leaps forward again, swinging downward only to once again meet Ansem's black blade.

They struggle, and surprise flashes in Ansem's eyes as he realizes that he can no longer carry on as he has. As much fun as toying with the Keybearer has been, it must end.

Kingdom Hearts is waiting.

Sora refuses to give any ground, pushing just as hard against Ansem-in-Riku as he was against him. He struggles his hardest, refusing to surrender.

His resolve falters, however, as he watches a sudden shadowy energy, inky black like starless midnight, spring up around Riku's body, wrapping the usurper inside in an aura of pure strength from the primordial force of Darkness itself.

"Sora!" a female voice cries again, though this time the Keybearer knows it is not in his head. In his peripheral vision he spots Azlyn and Telary, bringing up the rear behind Donald Duck and Goofy.

"Sora, we're here!" Telary declares, reassuring him.

"Wait, stop, there's some kinda barrier… Goofy!" Donald declares, though Sora can no longer afford to lend his focus to anything other than his blade lock.

_They're here! _Kairi's voice declares, pure joy infused as much in every word as anger was during her last communique.

Finding strength somewhere he assumes must be purely Kairi, Sora turns to see Azlyn and Telary standing just beyond the platform's floor. They're holding hands, Azlyn's desperately squeezing against Telary's. Sora suspects that much pressure must be doing a number on the older boy, but he doesn't react at all, sharing his inner strength with his counterpart as much as she often uses her outward strength to protect him.

And at the sight of them, Sora understands everything.

_Oh, thank you Sora!_

The Keybearer's head whips around to lock eyes with Ansem once more, and suddenly the Seeker of Darkness begins to feel a genuine fear, as True Light gathers around Sora much as the Darkness has gifted him strength.

But the Light does not stop at the outline of the hero's body, but instead expands, coating his Keyblade in pure white radiance. It continues, however, growing and shifting and driving back the pure Darkness. It advances, expanding and brightening, searing…

The light fades, and Riku's body is gone, Ansem's dark presence banished along with it.

Sora drops to the floor, suddenly feeling the weight of the world on his shoulders. Tears well in his eyes, then fall as he realizes that he may have just destroyed his best friend.

"Riku…" he chokes out, barely hearing the sound of his companions rushing the platform, hardly feeling as Azlyn drops an arm around him, Telary following along soon after. Their touch brings a small comfort, but…

_Riku will be safe, Sora, _Kairi's soothing voice reassures him, lightening all his doubts and fears with simple words. _He's safe, and we'll all be together again. For now…_

"This thing is going bonkers!" Donald Duck squawks, jumping up and down fearfully as the Darkness swirling in its other colors begins to grow.

The device may not be complete, but the Darkness inside cannot be contained forever; not when it finds a potential avenue for release.

"What _is _that thing?" Azlyn asks, looking up at the imposing device.

Telary reluctantly rises, leaving Sora in Azlyn's arms alone, scratching his chin and examining the machine.

"I think it's some kind of Darkness amplification apparatus," he says with as much clinical detachment as he can muster in the face of such terror. "But how it works, or what it's doing now, I'm afraid that I can't…"

"Keyhole," Sora says, startling both his companions. He gives Azlyn a nod and the knight lets go, backing up and giving him space to stand. "Ansem said…"

"Wait, Ansem?" Azlyn asks, interrogative outbursts apparently being her "thing" for the moment. "The guy who wrote…?"

"Ansem said that Hollow Bastion's heart had been, uh, corrupted by the Heartless," Sora explains as best he can, pulling hard from his memory. "And this thing was supposed to access the Keyhole and, uh, let all that Darkness out into the universe."

Telary smiles. "Well, if it's routed through the Keyhole, then I think you can seal it!"

"What the heck are any of you talking about?" Donald rages, literally hopping mad about not being in the loop. Goofy, recovered from his encounter with Ansem's barrier, places a hand on his friend's head to keep him grounded. "Keyholes?"

Sora steps up to the device, raising his Keyblade to point directly at it. Nothing happens.

"Kairi," he says, as a sudden solution dawns on him. "Ansem said that without Kairi's heart, the machine wasn't complete. I think that without her heart using its power, being _free_, the connection isn't made yet."

"So we need her heart?" Telary bursts out, looking confusedly from the unconscious girl to the Keybearer. "But I thought…"

"Ansem told me that Kairi's heart is inside my body," Sora explains. "It hid there so it couldn't be found or taken. Now, my body must be blocking it from using its power. So the only way to get that Keyhole complete is to…"

Sora looks down to see the dark Keyblade lying on the ground, right where Ansem had dropped it.

A Keyblade that unlocks hearts.

Telary realizes the boy's plan. "What, no, Sora! You can't do this, okay?" The mage rushes in front of Sora, spreading his arms wide to prevent his friend's passage.

"Telary's right," Azlyn chimes in from behind. Donald and Goofy just glance worriedly at the device, not exactly sure of what is happening, but knowing that it's bad on a scale they don't even want to contemplate.

"No," Sora says plainly. "No, I have to do this. There isn't any other way. And even if that thing weren't ready to burst and probably destroy this whole castle, I'd still do it for Kairi!" He marches down, pushing past an unprotesting Telary, and scoops up the dark Keyblade, gripping its shaft. He regards the wicked point at its end for a moment, and he swears he can hear voices crying out for help.

"Sora…" Azlyn chokes out weakly.

The Keybearer looks at her, then Telary, then makes sure he can see both. "When I'm gone, make sure to take care of Kairi, okay?" He grins at the statement. "But then again, of course you will. After all, you're her family."

Without another word, he points the key to his chest. He realizes as he does that it's true what people say: His life is flashing before his eyes.

It has been a good life, and he finds that it's happy memories he focuses on, not sad.

The first time he swam, his 3rd birthday party, finding Kairi on the beach during a meteor shower. Years of fun and growing and laughter, full of passing acquaintances and fair-weather friends, none as true and great and memorable as Riku and Kairi.

And he thinks of Azlyn and Telary, from their first awkward meeting, to slowly becoming friends, the pair confessing the truth of their journey to him. Time spent on the Gummi ship watching space go by, just silently taking in each other's presence. Even their fights and arguments and disagreements.

All of those memories fill him, along with hundreds more, snapshots and friends from all throughout the universe. They strengthen him, let him know that he must do this, for the sake of his friends and the millions of people he knows he hasn't met, nor ever will.

For Kairi.

Letting out a deep breath, Sora plunges the Keyblade into his chest.

"Sora!" Azlyn cries out, watching in helpless agony as Sora sacrifices himself. The blade goes in several inches, and suddenly a bright light emanates from its impact point, radiating out several inches beyond the Keybearer's chest.

Violet light rushes across the black and red Keyblade, and in a sudden flash it fades, six points of pure, unblemished light, the hearts of the Princesses, appearing in the air above it. They hover for a moment, then return to their sleeping owners.

A seventh and final heart extricates itself from Sora's chest itself, floating through the air towards its true owner, Kairi. As it does, a light flashes from the Keyhole machine.

The tiny light enters Kairi's chest and her eyes snap open. She sits up ramrod straight, feeling like she's just awakened from some peculiarly lucid dream.

There's a light somewhere off to her side, and she turns to see Sora, a nimbus of yellow surrounding his body.

He begins to fall.

She reacts without thinking, pushing her still strange feeling body to rise purely on instinct, to go to the best friend that has sacrificed everything for her.

She reaches him and reaches out, her arms prepared to bear the burden of Sora's body. They do not get the chance however, as before she can even feel his skin against hers one last time, Sora's very body disappears in a final spark of light.

She can distantly hear a female voice yelling, crying out for Sora to stay, but suddenly she feels like a stranger in her own skin once more. Her legs buckle, as if they've forgotten how to hold her up during her heart's time away.

Luckily for her, there are arms prepared to catch her. Feeling their strength and warmth, she looks up to see the face of her rescuer, gazing down at her with shock and concern. Red hair frames the face, and although she cannot recognize all of its details, she knows whose eyes she is staring into.

"Telary," she breathes out, tucking her head into the older boy's chest and wrapping him in a returning hug as best as she can. "Oh, Telary, it's you."

The mage is dumbfounded, too shocked to speak. Why is Sora's friend, the girl that Telary knows without a doubt that the Keybearer loves, reacting so tenderly to him, a complete stranger? It defies logic.

Still, he can't help but feel like this embrace is somehow right. Something in his heart tells him.


	34. Escape From Hollow Bastion

_Alone in the darkness, Sora sinks into a black oblivion._

_"Falling… Falling into Darkness."_

**KH-KH-KH**

"Come back Sora!" Azlyn calls to the ceiling, her grief-roughened voice echoing off the high walls of the Grand Hall. She sinks to her knees, the loss of her friend overwhelming her body. "I… I can't believe this." She stands up and yells, causing Goofy, who had been on his way to comfort his student, to stumble back in shock and fright.

Kairi lets go of Telary and approaches the knight, reaching out to gingerly place her hand on the girl's shoulder. Azlyn's head whips around in shock, taken aback by this complete stranger's gentle touch.

"He's not gone, Azlyn," Kairi states plainly, her blue eyes somehow calming down the distraught knight. "He can't be! I won't let him go, and neither can you." She looks from Azlyn to Telary, and there's something in her eyes that simultaneously warms and disconcerts them. "If we all believe in Sora…"

"Please," a dark voice says from the ether. Everyone in the chamber groups closer together, Azlyn whipping her shield out. There's a sudden flash of violet light as a dark portal opens, a man emerging onto the platform. He's taller even than Telary, his tan skin highlighting the silvery-whiteness of his long hair and his golden eyes. He wears a long coat, much like Riku had while possessed, though his is black beneath the arms and about midway up the back, as well as heavily armored at the shoulders. A metal Heartless emblem, complete with the red stitching in the middle, rests in the middle of the two halves of his coat, exposing most of his heavily muscled torso. The man steps forward in his dark boots and black pants, clenching his white gloved hands into fists. He can only be Ansem, the Seeker of Darkness in his own flesh once more.

"Your friend is _gone_," the man declares with a shake of his head, hair swishing through the air with the motion. "Taken by darkness. But, I would be remiss not to congratulate you on _your _awakening, Princess. Tell me, how does it feel to be amongst the awake and alive once again?"

"You better back off, mister!" Donald threatens with a shake of his fist.

Ansem ignores the little magician's warning. "Unfortunately for you, and all of your little friends too I suppose, I have no further use for you, girl. Now that you've completed my Keyhole, it is over."

Ansem begins to slowly stalk forward, Shadow Heartless seeming to spring up out of the ground from wherever he steps.

"Stop _right _there, you crazy bastard!" Azlyn roars, whipping her shield into ready position. Telary steps up beside her, staff clenched tightly in his right hand, looking just as defiantly protective as his counterpart.

"Uh, Azlyn?" Goofy chimes in nervously. "Are you sure we can beat this feller?"

The knight shrugs. "Being honest, no, I am definitely not sure. In fact, I bet we can't. But that doesn't mean we won't try!"

Ansem lifts his booted foot once more, but finds that he cannot take the next step. In fact, the body he created from the remnants of Riku will not move at all!

"What is the meaning of this?" he rages, trying and failing to strain against the odd bonds keeping him immobile, unable to complete his purpose.

Suddenly there's a bright yellow glow in front of the man, and in moments it begins to coalesce and take shape, until it finally solidifies to reveal Riku, arms wide and back bowed like Atlas with his globe.

"I won't let you… do this to my friends!" the strangely incorporeal boy declares defiantly, gritting his teeth against the strain. "Not by using _my _body!"

"Riku!" Kairi cries out, reaching her hand out and stepping forward, only to be stopped by Donald Duck. "Riku, what happened?"

The boy shakes his head. "There's no time to explain. I can keep this up and… and hold him back for a little while, but you have to hurry and leave now! The Heartless are coming, and I can't stop them!"

As if to illustrate his point, the Shadows that had been heretofore following Ansem's lead crawl past him, yellow eyes fixed on the quintet. The swarm moves forward as one, with the exception of a single Shadow hanging back, staring even more intently at the group than the others, pitch black head tilted to one side.

"We should do what he says!" Donald declares, already backing up towards the stairs. "Those Heartless mean business."

"I hate to say this, but I agree," Azlyn says, sighing and standing down. Beside her, Telary nods appreciatively at her wisdom.

Kairi, however, is not so accommodating. "I don't! I'm going to save Riku, whether any of you… Aah!"

Goofy snatches the Princess up into his arms, lifting her off the ground. "Uh, sorry ma'am, but we _really _gotta go!"

And so the Disney Castle group flee, Kairi reluctantly along for the ride. She looks back at the still struggling Riku, a tear coming to her eyes. Two friends lost in one day? She's starting to think that this hadn't even been worth all the struggle to unite her heart and body.

Ansem watches the group go, then watches Riku as the boy looks on at his friend's escape.

Suddenly, Darkness surges from the Keyhole once more, lending Ansem its strength and allowing him to overcome the protestations of Riku. The boy screams aloud once and disappears.

With that nuisance overcome, the Seeker of Darkness turns to the artificial Keyhole machine, smiling and spreading his arms as if welcoming its embrace.

There's a flash of electricity, then Darkness, true everlasting Darkness, erupts in a bloom, encompassing Ansem and whisking him away to his destiny.

He laughs.

A single Shadow watches it all. The Darkness creeps out from the Keyhole, then suddenly sucks back in, as if it's a wave coming in with the tide.

Shadow remembers waves, vaguely. Sand too, and the sound of birdsong overhead. There are people as well, Shadow knows there must be, but nothing comes to its primitive mind.

There's something it must do, suddenly, a compulsion that comes to it as if pulled from a dream. Not that Shadow has dreamed. But it thinks it knew someone once, someone with big dreams.

Shadow moves forward, then stops as it looks down from the high platform to the main hall below. Six young women gather in the middle, discussing something, an auburn haired maiden in a red dress seeming to take the lead.

A blonde girl in a silvery blue dress cups her heart in her hand, then extends her arm to the Keyhole, still pulsating with dark power. The others nod and form into a straight line, closing their eyes and raising their hands high.

Not wanting to disturb them, Shadow fades into the background, shiftily sneaking past the six women in its two-dimensional form.

It has somewhere to be, it just knows it does.

Back with the fleeing heroes, the elevator they find in the hallway outside the Grand Hall takes them all the way down to the Entrance Hall, passing numerous stops along the way. All the while, no one says a single word.

When the platform stops, they quickly disembark, Kairi now running under her own power. They storm into the entrance hall, but while the Disney Castle crew continue down the stairs, Kairi stops suddenly, feeling strangely like moving any further would be a horrendously wrong thing to do.

"Kairi, you've got to come along _now_, or we'll be late!" Telary commands, equal parts authoritative and exasperated.

"Uh, late for what?" Goofy asks the tall mage.

He shrugs. "I… I don't know. I don't think I meant to say that. It just felt… Well it just seemed like a _habit_…"

"Anyway, he's right Kairi!" Azlyn calls up to the girl frantically. "We've got to hurry up and get to our ship, or the Heartless…"

"I can't leave without them, Azlyn!" Kairi declares, slamming her fist into the stairway's handrail. "They came all this way and sacrificed a lot for me and I can't just…"

She's suddenly interrupted by a sound so small she barely hears it. Looking back towards the doors to the hall, she sees a single Shadow crawling towards her. Startled, she finishes her run down the stairs.

Shadow follows after the girl, somehow feeling compelled towards her, like a magnet to True North. It sees her join the group at the bottom of the stairs, and deciding not to waste time, jumps directly down to the hall below.

"Confounded Heartless!" Donald cries out in exasperation, pushing and shooing the little creature. "Get lost, will ya!"

Kairi frowns, taking a step towards the creature. She knows it is just a Heartless, but nevertheless there seems to be something odd, almost familiar about it. "Sora…?"

Azlyn rolls her eyes and pushes past Kairi. She unlimbers her shield and bumps Donald aside. "That's not how you do it! Here, _I'll _show you how to deal with a Heartless…"

Before Azlyn can move any closer, a swarm of new Shadows arise from the ground, surrounding the group and stalking towards them from all sides.

A pair pounce on Azlyn, who whirls and slices through them with her shield in a single slash. The entire Disney Castle quartet goes to work on the dark creatures, leaving Kairi to stand alone with the strangely peaceful Shadow that had been following her.

"Don't worry, Sora," Kairi says to the creature, her voice strong and firm as her heart cements her suspicions of the Heartless's identity. "This time, _I'm _going to be the one who protects _you_."

Larger Neoshadows begin to join their smaller brethren, putting an even greater strain on Azlyn, Telary, Donald, and Goofy's defense. Telary and Donald sling powerful spells that eliminate large swathes of dark creatures, only to find more rising in their place. Azlyn and Goofy, despite the Captain's lack of a weapon, work together to herd Shadows and crush them in large groups, but they cannot prevent a few from slipping past them, headed straight for the Princess of Heart.

Seven Shadows rush Kairi and the Shadow-Sora under her protection. She gasps in fear as they all leap as one. Wincing, she drops down to grab onto Sora, hold him close until the end…

_Kairi is on a platform, green-tinted stained glass like the one she had visited with Sora on while their hearts were still locked together. Except instead of her picture being depicted, she instead sees Sora, leaning back with the Keyblade held in his right hand, a serene scene from a Destiny Islands beach behind him. Floating above him are four circles, each containing the visage of one of his four most precious friends: Azlyn, Telary, Riku… And Kairi herself._

_The real Kairi, or at least as real as one can be in the immaterial world of the heart, takes a step back, looking around at the black abyss surrounding the platform._

_"Kairi!"_

_The redhead whips her head around, looking everywhere for the source of the sound but finding nothing._

_"Kairi, come this way. I'm over here and I… I think I could use your help."_

_She knows now without a doubt that it is Sora calling to her, but from where?_

_Suddenly, a single rectangle of blue glass forms beyond the edge of the platform, quickly followed by another materializing out of the darkness, then another, then another, until there is a long chain of glass rectangles leading into the darkness._

_Without hesitation, Kairi follows, running along platform after platform in search of Sora. They begin to slope upward and rise, and suddenly Kairi can see a violet-tinted round platform in the distance. As she approaches, she sees Sora sitting placidly on the platform's floor, body absolutely covered in chains that give off a violet aura._

_She steps onto the large platform and stops, begins warily approaching Sora one step at a time._

_The boy looks up and gives her a half-hearted grin, weak but still bright. "Hi, Kairi. Man, it feels like I've been waiting here for you forever."_

_Kairi shakes her head, tears forming in her eyes. "No, Sora, it's only been a few minutes since you… Since we saw each other."_

_The Keybearer nods listlessly. "Yeah, I guess… I guess time just seems to pass slower here. I swear it's been years…"_

_Kairi lowers herself to her knees, shaking her head again. She reaches out to touch a chain, but a sudden shock of electricity rises up against her hand. She pulls it back with a pained wince._

_Sora sighs. "It's no use, Kairi. The Darkness has me now. I can't escape, and there's nothing you can do about it." He takes a deep breath, every word obviously a struggle. "You should go now, get to safety while you can. Maybe… Maybe there's another Keyblade master out there that can stop Ansem, save Riku. Azlyn and Telary could find them, you could…"_

_"Sora, you had better stop talking like that right now!" Kairi warns, standing up and pointing a stern finger at her bound friend. "You're gonna get out of this, and you're gonna become human again, and we'll be together. You, me, and Riku. Azlyn and Telary too! We'll all be together again, and we'll beat Ansem, stop the Heartless. I promise."_

_Sora grins at her, but it's weak, his energy almost gone. "That sounds… Nice, Kairi. But there's… There's no way I'm getting out of these. I'm not strong enough."_

_Kairi grits her teeth, staring down the chains and turning the wheels in her head. "No, you're right. You aren't strong enough." She shoots him a grin that she hopes matches his own usual expression, not the weak attempt at cheer he's giving her now. "But I'm a Princess of Heart, and I promise you, I _am _strong enough!"_

_She closes her eyes and focuses, calls upon the pure, unblemished Light of her heart. It's easy to do, in this strange realm where emotion is seemingly more important than any law of reality. Reaching for the Light energy she feels in the core of herself, she takes it, like gathering clear blue water from the island waterfall in her hands._

_Then, she releases it, lets the warm silver Light spread along the length of Sora's dark chains. Everywhere the Light touches, Darkness melts like snow under a magnifying glass, the chains vanishing along Sora's body._

_But the Light doesn't stop there, spreading out and to the whole platform, driving back dreary violet and replacing it all with brilliant blue, like the ocean and the sky lit up by ten suns._

_Free of his bonds, Sora rises, shaking off the weariness and inactivity of his capture. He looks at Kairi, who slowly weans herself off her concentration. She opens her eyes, and they look at each other. Smiling brilliantly, the both of them, they go to each other, reaching out to embrace…_

"Telary, the Heartless!" Azlyn calls to her counterpart, pointing out the shadowy dogpile around Kairi. "We've got to…"

Before she can finish her exclamation, a sudden burst of Light rises from Kairi's body like an explosion, clearing the space of the dark creatures.

When the Light fades, it reveals Sora and Kairi, together corporeally for the first time in far too long, holding each other tightly.

"Kairi, thank you," Sora whispers so only the girl in his arms can hear. She looks up at him, pure joy radiating from her face.

"Sora!" the girl exclaims happily, burying her head in his chest again, hearing his heartbeat, feeling it move in sync with hers.

"Sora!" comes a simultaneous cry from Azlyn and Telary, who both spring to their friend's side and envelope him and Kairi in their arms as well. Donald and Goofy just stand back and watch the whole thing amusedly.

That amusement fades as half a dozen more Neoshadows spring up from the ground. Realizing the danger, the foursome breaks off their joyful hug. Stepping forward, Sora, Azlyn, and Telary prepare their weapons and hearts for battle. Kairi takes a wary, combat-ready stance as well.

"Spending some time as one didn't happen to give you any sympathy for these buggers, did it Sora?" Azlyn asks cheekily.

The Keybearer shakes his head. "I know what I have to do. Now let's…"

He's cut off by a loud roar that shakes the entire room. Looking up, Sora sees the Beast at the top of the fountain in the room's middle, fur-covered arms splaying his purple cloak back as he expresses his rage.

Beast leaps down and lands hard enough to shake the ground once more, his massive claws grabbing Heartless and ripping them to shreds.

"Go!" he commands the stunned group, stomping a Neoshadows head into black paste. "I can hold them off, but you have to go!"

Sora hesitates, unwilling to abandon his friend in such a needy hour. "But Beast, you can come with…"

"No!" Beast roars, a sweep of his arm obliterating a row of at least seven Shadows. A Darkball flies towards him, but he jumps up and rips it in two halves. "I won't leave without Belle!"

Sora nods, bashing away a Shadow with the Keyblade. "She's with the other Princesses in the highest tower!"

Beast nods his thanks and charges the shadowy line once again. Sora almost steps towards him, but he feels a hand on his wrist, telling him that it is time to go. He looks back and sees that it belongs to Telary. Azlyn has Kairi by the arm as well, the Princess of Heart also seeming unwilling to leave.

Realizing that he has to get Kairi to safety, Sora relents and runs to where Donald and Goofy have the door held open, the sounds of Beast in battle following them all the way out. /

**KH-KH-KH**

The sound of boots against floor startles Jiminy Cricket from his nap. Sitting up in the pilot's chair of the Gummi ship and yawning, he notes that he hears voices coming from down below, and definitely more than three of them.

Looking back, he sees Telary climb up the ladder, followed quickly by Donald Duck, then Goofy, Azlyn, and Sora, and finally a red-haired girl that he can only imagine is Sora's Kairi.

"Wow!" Kairi exclaims as she looks around the space, much more cramped than usual due to the influx of escapees.

"I know, right?" Sora says, grinning. He sweeps his arm out wide. "Kairi, this is our Gummi ship! Azlyn and Telary stole it!"

"You _still _can't let that go, huh?" Azlyn yells back at the Keybearer as Donald laughs out loud, clutching his shaking belly.

Telary, meanwhile, manages to boot up the system in record time, and in moments all of the ship's instruments are humming to life. He presses a button and two more chairs spring up from blank spots on the floor.

"Everything's ready," the mage/pilot confirms, looking over all the readouts and seeing that everything is in proper working order. He turns to Donald. "Master, would you like the…?"

"You can stop right there, Telary!" Donald interrupts. "I'm a big enough duck to admit you're ten times the pilot I am!"

"Yeah, Donald's never even drove a ship outside them simultations," Goofy chimes in cheerily.

"Simu_lations_, you clod!" Donald corrects as he takes his seat.

"There aren't enough chairs for all of us!" Sora points out as the ship rises into the air, Telary taking them out into Gummi space.

"I'm taking the turret anyway," Azlyn says, already heading for the ladder. "If that radar is anything to go by, we're gonna need some cover."

Straining his neck to see the radar from his seat, Sora notes that there is indeed a swarm of ships, undoubtedly Heartless, waiting just outside the world. He gulps as he realizes there must be something on the order of about two or three thousand.

"Setting shield Gummis to max power!" Donald yells from the copilot seat, tapping in a few commands.

"No!" Telary corrects, shaking his head. Donald looks at him incredulously, not used to such a commanding tone from his student. "If you do that, we won't have cannons. Give them about fifty-five percent, and leave the rest for speed and firepower."

"Are you sure you're strapped in okay, Kairi?" Sora asks his friend, biting his lip as he checks over her harness.

"Relax, Sora!" Kairi warns, waving the boy off. He grins back at her sheepishly, and she returns it with a smile of her own.

Screams of surprise from Donald and Goofy interrupt their tender moment, and Sora whips around to look at the viewport, his mouth falling open in shock.

Hanging in the black and violet swirl of deep space is an armada of Gummis, ranging so widely in size and color that it would be impossible to count them all.

Telary doesn't allow himself to freak out, reigning in his emotions and sublimating everything to the portion of his brain that handles flying. He grips the steering yoke tightly, his teeth grinding against each other.

A massive influx of fire, long bursts of white and green and orange energy blasts, drives toward the ship like a stake to the heart. Telary pulls the yoke left and dodges, everyone in the cockpit feeling a bit of the rush that the inertia-compensating Gummis can't prevent.

Suddenly white energy erupts from behind them, crashing into enemy vessels and eliminating them in vast numbers. Down in the somewhat cramped turret station, Azlyn smiles wide.

Noticing a pair of large ships coming at them from above, Telary twists left again then right, jinking and juking to avoid being hit.

"Not exactly a smooth ride, is it?" Kairi comments as they bob and weave back and forth through a seemingly endless field of threats. Sora can only nod back.

It feels to the passengers like they're making their way through the field slowly, seeming to stop and turn or reverse to avoid fire every few seconds, shaking everyone in the cockpit to their bones.

"Behind us!" Donald yells to Telary, who eases back on the throttle. Two small, quick ships zoom past them, and Azlyn's turret fire obliterates them.

"Why aren't we using the warp Gummi?" Sora yells up to Telary.

Since their pilot is a bit busy at the moment, Donald yells back an explanation. "The warp uses faster than light travel to move from one world to the next. But… AAAAAARGH!... But there's too much Darkness energy comin' off Hollow Bastion for us to achieve it."

"So how… Yikes! How are we supposed to get out of here?"

"If we can get far enough out, we should be able to escape," the royal wizard says, glancing again at the still full radar. "But there's so many ships we… Wait!"

"What?" Kairi yells up.

"There's… There's something coming up on the monitor," Donald explains. "I can't quite make out its profile, but it seems to be…"

At that moments the ship's shields overload and fail, shuddering off with a loud noise and shake, leaving the ship completely exposed to physical damage from enemy firepower. As if sensing their moment, a swarm of enemy ships rise up together and make a charge for the ship, guns charging for a final burst…

"Uh, guys," Azlyn's voice comes in from the communications suite, "I think we've got ourselves a little…

"Holy mother of freakin' crap!" Kairi cries out, noticing a massive shadow falling across the cockpit. Looking up, she sees a huge gray expanse of blubbery skin passing overhead.

"Uh, yeah," Azlyn agrees, sounding amused. "What she said."

With a might roar, the massive might of Monstro the whale smashes into the incoming Heartless armada, his tough hide hardly even registering what shots the vessels manage to get off before being crushed by his bulk.

Monstro turns, the strength of his tail swatting away and in some cases completely destroying ships by the dozens.

"Oh, this is the most awesome thing ever!" Sora declares, actually putting his hands in the air and waving them happily. Kairi giggles at the sight.

"A SPACE WHALE!" Donald cries out in disbelief. "WHAT IN THE NAME OF ALL THAT IS HOLY?"

"Our chance!" Telary exclaims triumphantly, twisting the yoke to the side and sending the vessel into a leftward barrel roll. "Monstro is huge and has a thick hide, which means that if we can get him behind us…"

"We'll be able to block out the Darkness keeping us from escaping!" Sora finishes joyously.

Telary nods. "Hold on folks, it's going to be a bumpy ride!" Letting out a cry of pure thrilled emotion, Telary dives below the whale, a furious nimbus of laser light surrounding the ship's space, courtesy of Azlyn.

After a minute, he pulls up, sending the ship shooting up towards the space whale's thick blubber.

"Goofy, you're on the nav!" Donald yells to the captain.

Looking ashamed, Goofy lifts his butt off his seat and looks underneath it. "Oh sorry Donald! I didn't _feel _like I was sittin' on anything…"

Donald turns a shade of red Sora has never seen on a face before. "I meant that you're sitting in front of the navigation computer, ya big palooka! Punch in the coordinates for Disney Castle!"

"Oh!" Goofy exclaims, nodding. "Okey dokey then!"

With a final twist of the controls, Telary sets the ship facing forward again, Monstro behind them, apparently enjoying smashing Heartless ships to bits.

"The dark energy signature is blocked!" Donald reports, checking over the instruments. "And what's more, the enemy seems to be running out of ships!"

"Them corky nets are locked in, ahyuck!" Goofy announces with a grin.

"Well then," Telary says, reaching for the Warp lever beside him, "let's blow this popsicle stand!" He pauses for a moment, grinning. "Wow, I've always wanted to say that!"

Sora reaches out and places Kairi's hand in his own. She smiles up at him, pure love in her eyes.

Then, Telary pulls the lever, and they leave Hollow Bastion behind them.

* * *

**OH MY GOD! I can't believe I just wrote that last scene! Ever since the idea came to me, from wherever it did, I have been anxiously awaiting the day when I could finally write Monstro swooping in to save Sora and co. from the Heartless, and now it's finally here!**

**This whole Hollow Bastion section has actually been a great experience, getting to make my own little twists and adjustments to some of the most famous scenes in the game. I am seriously happy with how all of it turned out, and I really hope that you guys are as well. **

**And yeah, okay, I really hope you do it in the form of a review, because I seriously live for feedback guys, I really do.**

**And, speaking of big ends, its almost time for the mysteries of Azlyn, Telary, and Kairi to come to an end, though I can imagine a lot of you have already figured out. Oh well, it should still be a fun time, and another big departure from the games themselves, which I always love doing.**

**So, until next time, and don't forget to review if you feel so inclined!**


	35. The Promise

Telary settles the Gummi ship into the Disney Castle hangar with ease, breathing a sigh of relief at having survived his first major test as a pilot.

No one is there to greet them yet, but Telary knows that even now Queen Minnie and Daisy are on their way.

Everyone else heads down the ladder while Telary does some last minute checks, and within seconds only he and Donald remain.

The Royal Magician turns to his apprentice, a big smile on his beak. "Telary, you did a real good job out there today. Plus, all your time spent keepin' Sora safe from harm, so…"

Telary cocks his head confusedly, watching Donald look at anything but him, his hands rubbing together somewhat nervously. It's an odd reversal of an old situation, he thinks.

"So," Donald says once he finally composes himself, looking the boy in the eye, quite a stretch for the little duck, "I'm afraid that your apprenticeship with me is over."

"What?" Telary blurts out, feeling happy and regretful and several other odd mixes of emotions. "You… You mean that I…?"

Donald nods. "Yep. Disney Castle has _two _Royal Wizards now! Congratulations, there's not much else I can teach you."

Telary bends down and scoops the little duck up, eliciting a surprised squawk. "Oh, thank you so much Master!"

"Hey now, hey!" Donald gets out in between laughs. He looks Telary square in the eye. "It's _Donald Duck _to you now, got it?"

Telary smiles hugely. "Yes, I think I do. Donald." He returns his former teacher to the ground, both of them still grinning like mad. "Wow, that's kinda weird to say… But fun!"

The pair join the rest of the party outside the ship, and by that time Queen Minnie and Daisy have arrived. Upon seeing his sweetheart, Donald makes a beeline for Daisy and picks her up to spin her around.

"Oh, Donny, I was starting to think I'd never see you again!" the lady exclaims, tears in her eyes. Everyone smiles at the happy couple.

After a few second appreciating her best friend's happiness, the queen turns to the rest of the group.

"Welcome, everyone, to Disney Castle," she says, directing this mostly at Kairi and Sora. "I'm just so glad you've all returned safe and sound. Why, if the king were here… Well, he'd be just as glad as I am, now wouldn't he?"

Donald and Goofy nod their agreement.

"I'm so glad to be here, your majesty," Kairi replies with her best skirtless curtsy, and Sora feels compelled to bow to the queen as well.

"Well, if ya don't mind, Your Majesty, I'm gonna go say hello to some pals," Goofy announces. "I'll see y'all real soon!"

"Yeah, I'm gonna go too," Donald agrees, giving Daisy one last peck on the cheek and moving to stand with Goofy. "We'll be here when it's time to go, okay?"

Telary and Azlyn nod, though the apprentice knight seems a bit apprehensive about something.

"Well, now that they're off, would you all mind accompanying me to the library?" Minnie asks politely once the captain and wizard are gone.

"Yes ma'am," Sora agrees, and they all follow along after her. Sora and Kairi hold hands as they depart, and Kairi reaches her hand out for Telary's too, but he just takes his hands in closer and backs up a few steps. Kairi frowns.

The quartet follow Minnie through Disney Castle's grand colonnade, all seemingly restored to its original state of perfection since the Fearsome Four's attack. Sora watches mop servants attending to various tasks, but in his mind's eye all he can see is mobs of them attacking evil plant monsters.

"What's so funny?" Kairi asks him with an upturned eyebrow.

He looks down at her and shakes his head. "Kairi, I promise that I will tell you later. I have so much I want to, really. All about other worlds and all the things I did."

They finally reach the library, and to everyone's surprise Merlin is waiting inside.

"Uh, hi there Merlin," Sora greets the great wizard with a wave.

"What are you doing here?" Telary asks, resisting the urge to show deference. After all, he's an official Royal Magician of Disney Castle now. "Not that it isn't great to see you, of course."

"Queen Minnie?" Azlyn asks after the old wizard doesn't say a single word.

The queen shakes her head sadly. "Oh, I'm sorry that this is so difficult," she says after a second composing herself. "I'm sorry that I let it get this far…"

"Get _what _far?" Azlyn demands, stepping up with a clenched fist. Telary remains where he is, but nods in agreement. "What is going on?"

Sora feels Kairi shift against his side, and squeezes her hand. She looks up at him, and he nods.

_I know,_ he mouths silently, making sure his travelling companions can't see. Kairi nods back at him with a small smile.

"You know the story of how you came to be at the castle, correct? We've told you," the queen asks for clarification.

"Yeah, we were dropped off like orphans at the castle's doorstep," Azlyn recites as if by rote. She has heard this story several times. "King Mickey took pity on us and brought us… in…"

"But that's not the truth, is it?" Telary says, his voice an octave lower than usual, not threatening but with an undeniable heaviness. "We weren't dropped off, and we're not from this world at all, are we?"

Queen Minnie shakes her head, and Telary hears Azlyn gasp beside him. He purses his lips into a thin line, ready for a tale he's mostly already worked out himself.

"You two were born on the same world as Kairi," Minnie begins, pausing when Azlyn makes a wordless noise in confusion. "King Mickey… He took you from your home world and brought you here to the castle."

"I knew I must have been there before," Telary says with certainty. "It was like I knew where everything was without thinking, like some internal map. It's because I used to live there."

"I can't believe this…" Azlyn mutters quietly to herself, placing a hand on her forehead. It's little comfort as her life turns upside down. Part of Sora wants to go to her, but Kairi holds him back.

The redhead looks up at the Keybearer, who gives her an approving nod. After giving him one back, Kairi steps up closer to Azlyn and Telary, standing by Telary's side. The wizard gives her a quizzical look, and Queen Minnie smiles at her.

"I'm afraid the news doesn't get any less surprising," Minnie says, every word heavy with guilt and regret. "You see, Telary… Kairi is your sister."

The wizard nearly collapses, his legs suddenly feeling like they don't even exist, like they're only as solid as Genie's wispy tail. Sora steps up to steady him, and Kairi steps in front of the boy, grabbing his face and looking into his eyes. Azlyn just turns away, mouth agape.

"Telary," Kairi says simply, shaking her brother a bit to get him to focus. After a few seconds he does, looking down at the girl with pure shock written all over his face. "Telary, it's the truth. It… It shocked me too, when I first remembered it, but you have to know…"

"I can't…" Telary breathes out, losing his words before he can say them. An abandoned castle home, a secret adoption, a long-lost sister. It sounds like a fairy tale, too absurd and fantastical to be true.

But, at the same time, he knows it to be the truth. He can feel it in his heart, and looking into the eyes of the young girl in front of him, he knows he recognizes them. But it's all just instinct, and no memories accompany the certainty.

"So why did we come here?" Azlyn asks, mostly composed after her initial shock. "Did the king take us away because of the Heartless? And why us?"

"It started perhaps a week before Maleficent and the Heartless attacked Hollow Bastion," Minnie explains, her regal poise maintained despite her uncomfortableness with the situation, a very queenly quality. "You see, Kairi had gone missing, simply vanished from the world. Mickey was concerned, you see, and…"

"How did the king even know who we were?" Azlyn asks. "I mean, that's a pretty weird thing to do for some strangers."

"He knew you through Ansem, who was good friends with Kairi and Telary's grandmother, is what he told me," Minnie clarifies. "When Kairi went missing, they decided that it would be best for her brother to be taken away from the world, just in case he became a target as well."

Azlyn looks confused. "Why would that Ansem guy even care about some missing kid? I mean, he seemed like an evil freak to me. And why did I get taken away too? Me and Telary _aren't _related."

Minnie gives a little sigh and shrugs. "I don't know why Ansem agreed to let Telary be taken away. And as for you Azlyn… Well, it seems we didn't entirely lie to you, because you _were _an orphan, back in Hollow Bastion. But somehow you became very good friends with Telary and Kairi. Apparently there was some talk of adoption, but nothing came of it before you had to be taken away. You simply went along as a comfort to Telary."

"You were going to take us back, right?" Telary chimes in suddenly. Kairi is standing at his side now, holding his arm in hers. "The plan was for the king to find out what happened to Kairi, and then bring us back. But Maleficent attacked." The wizard turns to his sister. "Do _you _remember what happened to you? I mean, you obviously ended up on Destiny Islands, but…"

Kairi shakes her head. "No, I don't remember what happened. Really, I can't remember much of anything specific about childhood. After I lost my body, I knew where my home was, and I knew that you were my brother and Azlyn my best friend. Everything else…"

"This is probably where _I _should come in," Merlin says, the first thing he's said since the group arrived in the library. "After it became apparent that there would be no going back to Hollow Bastion for the foreseeable future, we began to worry about the psychological effects of bringing you from your home."

"You used to have terrible nightmares," Minnie adds, looking at Telary sadly. "You'd wake up crying and screaming, yelling your sister's name. It must have been dreadful."

"And so King Mickey called upon me," Merlin picks up. "He knew that if you remained haunted by your past, and missing your home, the adverse effects would be disastrous. And, so…"

"You wiped our _memories_?" Azlyn rages, stepping forward with fists clenched. "You just went into our heads and magiced away our _childhood_?"

"Well, you were only four and six years old!" Merlin says defensively. "And trust me, if you'd continued to live with that unpleasant business in your mind…"

"You still messed around in our heads without permission," Azlyn spits back angrily. She fixes the queen with the full force of her scowl, and Minnie can't recall a time she'd ever seen the girl direct her anger so fiercely.

Telary looks at Merlin pleadingly. "Do you think you could reverse the block?" he asks. "If we could get those years back, then maybe we could…"

"I can," Kairi says unexpectedly, drawing all eyes to her. Her face is set in determination. "Mr. Merlin, did you completely erase the memories, or just block them? Because if they're still in there, I could…"

Merlin looks at her sympathetically. "Yes, I'm sure you could child, and I didn't do anything that would permanently erase them, but… Well, spending all that time blocked off, I fear they may have atrophied, lost some of their clarity. In other words, what you'll get back most likely won't be all intact."

"But we'd know more, right?" Azlyn asks, looking hopeful now instead of angry. Merlin nods, and she decides then and there to go for it. She turns to look at Kairi. "Alright, I'm game. Tel?"

Telary takes a deep breath and steps up, reaching out a hand for Kairi's. "I want it too. If I could remember what it's like to have an actual family…"

Kairi nods, taking her brother's hand, then reaches for Azlyn's as well. Telary and Azlyn grab each other's free hand, forming a little circle in the middle of the library. Sora steps back to watch, and Merlin observes with his head tilted curiously.

Kairi takes a deep breath, trying to remember how she had used her power to free Sora from the Darkness. She finds it is easier this time, more instinctive, though operating in the physical realm rather than the more metaphysical space of a Heart is a bit more of a strain.

She reaches her heart out of to the pair's, finding that it is easy to connect to Telary's, like they're somehow magnetized together by the heart. Azlyn is a bit more difficult a task, but the Princess of Heart manages to latch on to her as well.

She searches the hearts of the pair, sifting through a lifetime of memories in a matter of moments, until she finds tiny places in each of their hearts, darkened and decayed by time but still accessible. Using her own heart, she reaches out for them, pouring light inside the darkened spaces until they glow just as brightly.

She opens her eyes and drops their hands, swaying a bit from the exertion. Luckily, Sora is there to keep her propped up.

Telary and Azlyn open their eyes as well, and find that they instantly, instinctively fix on Kairi.

They both gasp, marveling at the absolute certainty of their connection with the girl. Few specific memories come back, but it's like they've just been looking at a shadowy silhouette of Kairi all this time, and now they can see her fully.

Telary steps forward, tears openly falling down his face, and takes Kairi into his arms. Sora backs up and watches, smiling at the scene. His grin grows again when Azlyn steps up and joins in.

"I can't believe this is real," Telary whispers. "I remember missing you, coming here and worrying about you so badly I couldn't sleep, I wouldn't eat… I love you, Kairi. I'm so glad we're together again."

"Me too, Telary," Kairi agrees, also crying. "Me too."

After a minute the trio break away from each other. For another moment they stand together in a circle, just happy to be reunited once again.

"I knew things would work out, I just knew it!" Minnie says happily, giggling.

Azlyn turns to her queen, still wearing a frown. The anger in her eyes seems to have subsided though. "Obviously I'm still upset about you messing around in my head, but… Well, I guess I got a pretty great childhood to make up for it, eh?"

Telary looks at Sora. "If you had Kairi's heart inside you, that must be what made it so easy for us to connect, trust each other." The wizard tilts his head, suddenly thoughtful. "Did you know? When did you…"

Sora smiles. "It was when I was fighting Ansem, locking blades with him. Kairi's heart was working with me then, helping me resist the Darkness he was using. I saw you two come and, well, I just knew. That's why I knew I could trust you to get her out of that castle."

"And now, everyone is safe and sound," Minnie says, relief in her voice as she looks over the reunited family.

Sora and Kairi share a frown, thinking on a friend who definitely did _not _escape the affair at Hollow Bastion unscathed.

"Riku," they both say simultaneously.

**KH-KH-KH**

A road of white stone hangs in an endless abyss of black, and Riku stumbles down it, hoping and praying through his despair that it will lead somewhere, anywhere. The Darkness feels a part of him now, like an ice cube stuck in his chest, refusing to melt.

He misses his friends, regrets the choice he made that led him to this place, away from Sora and Kairi. All alone, with no relief in sight.

"I must be dead, then," he sighs, finally realizing the futility of even attempting to continue on. He drops to his butt on the stone path, feeling its utter coldness through the seat of his jeans. "This must be the afterlife. My punishment. Sora, Kairi… I'm so sorry. For everything."

_"Riku? Riku are you there, can you hear me?"_

The words seem to appear in Riku's head sans voice, like disembodied letters that just happen to line up to form a sentence. It's an odd experience like Riku has never known before.

_"Riku, I'm on my way to you. I'm on my way and I'll reach you real soon!"_

"Who are you?" Riku cries into the void, standing up and glancing around despite knowing in his heart how futile it is. "What do you mean? Am I…?"

_"No, Riku, I can assure you that you are very much alive. You're just a little… A little scattered is all."_

Riku runs his hands over his body, searching for any signs of what the voice could be talking about. He feels wispy and incomplete, like his entire body is nothing but mist. "I don't feel… I mean, there's kind of a hollow feeling, but…"

_"You're just a heart now, Riku. That was all that remained after your battle with Ansem. He took your body and made it into his own, leaving you just a heart. The good news is, that's what saved you. It cleaned out the worst of the Darkness, which is was keeping me from reaching you."_

"But where am I?" Riku begs, gazing around the abyss once more. "How did I get here if I'm just a heart? Why can I see myself?"

_"This is the place where hearts gather, when the Darkness grabs a hold of them. Normally you'd be stuck here, but your last resistance against Ansem's control kept just enough Light for you to remain sentient, aware. Listen, Riku, you have to keep going. You have to get to the Door. I'm headed there too now, and I have the Keyblade from this side."_

Talk of another Keyblade and "this side" confuses Riku to no end, but he pushes through it, realizing that he has a task at hand that needs doing.

_"Like I said, you need to get to the Door. It shouldn't be far away, but it'll seem like it. Y'know, in a way I think we lucked out here. After all, to close the Door we need two keys and two hearts, one on each side."_

"Sora is the other key, right?" Riku asks, already beginning a stumbling journey down the long dark road. "Is he okay? Are Sora and… Are Sora and Kairi okay?"

_"I think you know the answer to that, Riku. I mean, you're all heart now, ain't ya?"_

Riku nods. He _can _feel Sora and Kairi, reaching out to him like tiny ripples in a pond, echoes of their hearts. It's a nice feeling, and lends strength to the boy, makes him feel more solid and real, his steps along the road coming faster.

_"It's kind of funny, thinking about it. You and me both ending up here on this side, right where we need to be. It's almost like fate, isn't it?"_

Riku nods, a small smile stretching his lips. He feels another bit of strength returning, and his pace quickens. It feels like he doesn't have much time left.

"Yeah," he says, not sure whether he's speaking to himself or his mysterious benefactor. "Fate." /

**KH-KH-KH**

Sora, Azlyn, Telary, and Kairi give Minnie the full account of the events at Hollow Bastion, from Riku taking Sora's Keyblade to Maleficent's transformation and death, and everything that happened with the artificial Keyhole machine Ansem had created.

After they finish, the small library is quiet for a long moment, Queen Minnie looking worried from her seat at the room's lone desk. Telary and Kairi had taken the room's other plush seats, and Sora and Azlyn had elected to remain standing.

"It seems to me that the most immediate problem is that Darkness that spread out of Hollow Bastion's heart," she finally says after getting her head wrapped around the quartet's tale. She turns to Merlin. "With all that Darkness leaking out…"

"I fear that the Heartless will only grow stronger, bolder," the old wizard confirms, running his hand through his beard and shaking his head. "With that much Darkness left unchecked…"

"It isn't," Kairi interrupts, causing all eyes to move to the girl. She nods and touches her heart. "The other Princesses are using their powers, holding back the worst of the Darkness."

Minnie nods. "That's good news, but I fear it won't be enough." Fixing a determined look on her face, Minnie scoots her chair out and begins to move for the door to the colonnade. "But, I think I may know a way to make it even better. If you'll come with me, please?"

The group acquiesces, following Queen Minnie down the hall and into the throne room. Sora thinks it looks good like this, serene and perfectly kept, with no sign of Megavolt's attacks, not even a flash burn on the floor.

As Telary follows Minnie down the red carpet, he can't help but think of the morning he discovered the king gone, the fear that had almost sent him crawling under his bed for life. Looking beside him at his sister, then to his other side at Sora, he smiles, glad that he took the actions he did that led him here. Glad for Azlyn and her crazy scheme.

As for the apprentice knight, she does her best to avoid looking at the queen, a woman who had lied to her all her life. She knows that they only did what was necessary, but it still stings. Luckily, Telary had decided to support her in her quest to escape the castle's tedium, and everything had worked out for the best.

Minnie reaches the rightmost throne and places her hand underneath the chair's armrest, looking for the hidden switch she knows must be there. Finding it, she uses one white-gloved finger to flick it into _open_ position.

With a loud rumble, the platform the thrones rest on begins to move to the side, much to the shock of everyone who isn't Disney Castle royalty. After a minute of moving, a long staircase down to a small archway stands revealed.

"How long has this been here?" Azlyn asks as she follows the queen down the grand stairs. "Or would you just tell me another lie?"

"Azlyn, calm down please," Telary advises his friend. She scoffs in response and rolls her eyes, not noticing Queen Minnie wince at the display of attitude.

They emerge into a large hall, at least the same size as the Audience Chamber above, if not bigger. In the center sits a white marble pedestal, and above that floats an odd green orb, a bright light shining in the center of it, rings of light surrounding it like electrons whirling around an atom.

"What is _that_?" Sora and Azlyn ask simultaneously. Kairi stares at the orb numbly, feeling something like an odd connection to it.

"This is the Cornerstone of Light," Minnie explains, approaching the pedestal with reverence on her face. She reaches out and rubs a hand across the marble base. "Our castle's greatest defensive resource. You see, this orb repels Darkness itself."

Telary nods in understanding, approaching the Cornerstone and looking it over with a scientific eye. "That's why Maleficent used the Fiendish Four to attack this place. She couldn't send her Heartless minions in to do it because this wouldn't let them in." Minnie nods.

"Where did you find it?" Azlyn asks. "Or, did you like make it somehow?"

"It was found when we began construction on the castle, years ago," Minnie explains, circling the orb as she talks. "We're not sure whether it's natural, or if some older civilization made it and left it for us to find. All we know is that it has held back the Darkness from our world ever since this castle was built. It may be the most powerful light artifact in the Realm, perhaps even greater than the Keyblade."

"Yeah, it's real impressive, but what does it have to do with anything?" Azlyn asks.

"I can use it," Kairi says, stepping up to the Cornerstone and running a hand along it. "Just like the others are holding back the darkness from its source, I can use this to increase my power enough to keep even the little bit of Darkness the others can't hold back out of the universe."

"Are you sure about this?" Sora asks, Telary nodding along behind him. "It seems like an awful lot of power to use, and you're not even sure how…"

Kairi fixes the boy with a look that says that she cannot be deterred, no matter how many well-intentioned methods he uses to dissuade her. It's enough for Sora to decide not to push the matter.

"With the other Princesses holding it back at the source, it shouldn't be hard at all for me to drive it back even further." Her face falls a little. "The bad thing is, I won't get to go with you guys to save Riku."

"Oh, I wasn't going to let you go anyway," Sora says plainly.

"No way, me either," Telary agrees.

Kairi, miffed, looks to Azlyn for a little girl-to-girl helping hand, but her childhood friend just shakes her head. "Yeah, that's a no from me too. Sorry."

The redhead huffs once and shakes her head. "Gee, with friends like these…"

Everyone has a bit of a laugh at that.

When it dies down, Kairi looks at the Disney Castle staff. "Um, can I have a moment alone with Sora before I, y'know, get started? I just want to…"

"Say no more," Minnie says, giving the girl a curtsy and heading back towards the stairs, Merlin in tow.

"Okay, fine," Telary says easily. He moves for the staircase too, stopping to grab Azlyn by the arm on the way. She protests briefly, but when the wizard whispers something in her ear, she nods eagerly instead. With a wave, the duo depart.

"Those two are something else, huh?" Sora notes with a laugh as soon as the pair is out of sight. "I can't imagine what they were like growing up."

Kairi smiles, but it's bittersweet. "Apart from a few general things, neither can I."

Sora winces, sorry that he'd accidentally brought that up, since he can tell it is obviously a sore spot for his friend. Remaining silent, he watches her place her hand on the Cornerstone and begin to circle around it.

"A powerful source of Light, safely hidden away," she says after a moment of examining the orb.

"Your grandma's story?" Sora asks, stepping several feet closer.

Kairi nods. "That's right, I showed you that. It's another one of the very few clear memories I still have." She pauses her walk, leaning against the marble pedestal. Sora can see her eyes are shining, and he steps even closer. "I loved her a lot, my grandma. That much I know, but I wish I could remember more, you know? But I also feel like, despite how much I want more, I've gotten enough, all I need for now. It's funny, how things get when all you are is a heart. It's like all the things that aren't important just fade away." She wipes away a free running tear, and Sora lightly removes another with his finger. "I guess you don't need to lose your body to feel that though. All you've got to do is listen to what your heart is saying."

Sora gingerly places a hand on her waist, pressing her a bit deeper into the pedestal. They smile at each other.

"So," he says, moving their faces closer together. He thinks he should be nervous, but all he feels is a profound rightness. "Is your heart telling you anything right now?"

She surges up to kiss him, full lip-to-lip contact. There's nothing hungry or dirty about it, just a simple kiss meant to convey trust, a hint of desire.

Love.

They hold it for several seconds, and then Sora pulls back, runs his hand through Kairi's red hair. She closes her eyes and smiles at the feel of it.

"It's funny," Sora says, his voice a low whisper that only the girl in front of him can hear.

"What?"

"I spent so much time searching for you, and you were actually with me the whole time. And I kept getting these messages, and I saw you…" He kisses her again, this one quicker. "But, I think that even without all that, I would've been able to tell. You leave an impression, Kairi."

She giggles, and he takes several steps back, his face growing determination. "And now that I know you're safe, it's time to get Riku back."

"Are you sure?" Kairi says, swallowing heavily. "His heart was lost to the deep Darkness, I felt it. It didn't have any place to go…"

"It doesn't matter," Sora interrupts, his expression firm as stone. "You saved me from Darkness, remember? Now I'm going to do the same for Riku. You know he'd do it for us."

Kairi nods fondly. "Oh, yeah. That boy would do anything for us." She winces. "I mean, look at all the bad things he did for me." She turns back to the Cornerstone, rubs her palm along it and takes in its powerful Light. "I still wish I could go with you. Whether you'd like it or not."

Sora shrugs. "Hey, you have a _very _important job to take care of here. Besides, you'd kind of be in my way." He isn't ready for Kairi to whirl around and give his chest a solid thump, and he takes a step back, laughing all the way.

She steps up and takes his hand, serious once again. "Even if we're not together," she says, "I'll always be a part of you. Just remember that we're connected."

"Us too, we're connected!" Telary's voice chimes in from the stairway. He steps out from behind the wall, where he'd been hiding during the pair's entire conversation. Sora and Kairi are both amazed that he hadn't burst out to break things up during any of the kissing, but then Azlyn steps out as well, and Sora realizes that the knight had his back. She's a real bro like that.

"Ugh, I cannot believe that you spied on me like that!" Kairi exclaims, sounding completely scandalized. "I mean, what part of 'a moment alone' did you not understand?"

Telary shrugs. "Sorry, I guess my Big Brother instincts just kicked in, and I can't resist those. It's science, trust me."

Sora rolls his eyes as Kairi laughs, stopping them to focus on Azlyn. "And what's _your _excuse?" he asks.

The knight shrugs. "Y'know, I just kinda like spying on people." They all share a good, long laugh at that.

"Oh, I just remembered!" Kairi says abruptly, breaking off her laugh and digging into her pocket. She withdraws the thalassa shell star charm she had made so long ago on the beach. She holds it up to Sora. "Do you remember what this means?"

Sora nods. "It means that we're together, no matter what. Whatever happens, we're still with each other."

Kairi nods and hands it to him. He accepts the tiny charm reverently, looking over it in his palm. He had thought it ugly when he'd first seen it, but now he can fully recognize its beauty.

"Uh, what about us?" Azlyn asks sternly, crossing her arms over her chest and giving Kairi a stink eye. "Do we get something too, or is the jewelry just for your _boyfriend_?"

Everyone laughs at that, but the fact that someone just used that word to describe him and Kairi, no matter how mockingly it was intended, just floors Sora.

Kairi reaches back into her pocket, grinning when she finds what she's been looking for. With a wide flourish, she pulls out the thalassa shell necklace she had also made.

"It's supposed to bring good luck on… Woah!" Kairi doesn't get to finish her explanation before Azlyn has snatched the token out of her hand.

The knight holds up the necklace to the Cornerstone's light, examining it carefully. After a thorough checkup, she ties the leather cord around her wrist, admiring the look of it.

Kairi and Telary share a look, the younger sibling looking guilty. "I, uh, well I'm sorry, but I don't have anything else."

Telary shakes his head and pulls her in for a hug, which she gladly returns.

"We'll talk more later, right?" he says to her, pulling her face up to look her in the eyes. She nods, tears of sorrow and joy all at once spilling past her eyelids. After they're done, she embraces Azlyn as well.

It's time for the trio to go.

Azlyn and Telary head for the stairs first, the knight pulling the wizard along so Sora and Kairi can have another moment alone. Sora is her bro, after all.

"I also promise to look after them," the Keybearer whispers to the Princess. "They can get into a lot of trouble sometimes."

Kairi nods. "I can imagine. And of course, it would be a real shame if they died before they realize they're in love with each other."

Sora nearly chokes on his own spit, looking flabbergasted at the redhead, utterly taken aback by the notion of Azlyn and Telary… Y'know, _together_.

Kairi laughs at his surprise. "Oh my goodness, sometimes you can be the most clueless person in the universe."

Sora shrugs, as debonair as he knows how to be. "There's one thing I'm _not _clueless about…"

He pulls her in for one last kiss, their smiles touching. For a moment, all is right in the world.

Until Azlyn begins making gagging noises at the foot of the stairs.

Sora breaks off the kiss to glare at her, but she just shrugs. He rolls his eyes back at her, and the way Telary seems to approve of her actions.

He looks at Kairi one more time, though he knows in his heart that it won't be the last. She looks back at him, nothing but love in her eyes.

"Promise?" Kairi says.

"Promise," Sora confirms.

**KH-KH-KH**

Donald, Goofy, Daisy, Minnie, and Chip and Dale all gather in the hangar to see the trio off too.

"Well, good luck on your mission, fellers!" Goofy says, reaching out to enfold the trio in hugs one at a time.

"I can't believe that you're not even _trying _to join in, Ducky," Azlyn notes amusedly to the short sorcerer while Telary is receiving his Goofy hug.

The magician shrugs, taking Daisy's hand in his. "Aw well, I guess I just figured I had something worth staying for. And besides, you've already got a Royal Wizard going along with you!"

Azlyn looks at Telary, who grins back at her sheepishly.

"You made wizard and you didn't tell me?" she says, shocked.

Telary shrugs. "Well, I was just waiting for, y'know, the right moment."

Sora furrows his brow at the tall redhead. "Does this mean Telary is in charge?"

Queen Minnie shrugs. "Well, I suppose he _is _the only one with official rank, and the oldest besides."

Telary gulps, then looks at Donald pleadingly. "Uh, it's not too late to take that promotion back, is it?"

* * *

**Ah, the truth finally comes out! Fun fact, despite having had the idea for Azlyn and Telary like, ever since KHII came out, it was only just recently that I decided they had a connection with Kairi. Seriously, I was just sitting around, listening to music, when I had the thought "Hey, Telary and Kairi are both redheads. I wonder if I could somehow make them brother and sister!" And the rest, as they say, is history. I'm glad I had that thought too, because I was thinking as I was writing this chapter how fun the Sora/Azlyn/Telary/Kairi dynamic is to write.**

**Well, the next chapter should be fairly big, as it'll have everything leading up to and just after sealing Hollow Bastions Keyhole. Just a heads up in case I don't manage to finish it as abnormally fast as I have these last few chapters.**

**Please review if you have something to say guys, I really love it when you do. Well, until next time!**


	36. Sealing the Deal

"…So we figured, since you escaped Hollow Bastion in the face of impending doom before," Telary informs the assembled Traverse Town group, "that _maybe _you might have a way that we could sneak past the giant armada of evil enemy ships so Sora can seal the Keyhole."

They're in Cid's accessory shop, currently closed for business. Aerith and Yuffie sit on one couch, Sora and Azlyn on the other, and Leon and Cid stand behind the counter, though Leon's pose is more of a casual lean. Telary stands in the middle of the room doing the explaining.

Cid nods. "Yeah, I got a way in. Squirreled it away years ago in case I ever needed it. I can have it here and installed on yer ship in two shakes."

"That's amazing," Sora thanks the old man. "Even with the Princesses and Kairi double teaming the Keyhole's Darkness, I don't want to leave it open for too long." He thinks of Kairi pouring all her might into the Cornerstone back at the castle, praying that it won't prove too much for her to handle. He's mostly confident, however, having seen the full extent of Kairi's determination enough times to trust it.

"Do you really think that you can seal the Keyhole and get rid of the Heartless?" Yuffie asks, bouncing up and down on the couch cushion. Aerith sits serenely next to her, not seeming to mind that her seat is shaking.

"That's the plan," Sora says, summoning the Keyblade for emphasis. "If I can get to that machine Ansem built…"

"I still can't believe that Ansem would do something like that," Aerith says sadly, shaking her head. In her hand she holds the Ansem reports Telary found in Hollow Bastion's library. "I can't remember much about… Home, but I remember Ansem being a kind, benevolent man."

Yuffie shrugs. "I was pretty young, so I've only heard what you guys have said about him."

Leon frowns. "I feel like I _should _remember more, but it's like there's this big block. I remember being _from _Hollow Bastion, but…"

"That's all you can remember," Telary chimes in. "General things, but no specifics. Oddly enough, it's the same for me and Azlyn. I remember that it's my home and I know who my family was, but that's all." His frown deepens. "Something's even been nagging me about its name: Hollow Bastion. Somehow that just doesn't feel right."

"I got a theory on that, actually," Cid says as he loudly rummages through the shop's drawers, searching for his special Navigation Gummi. "You said that Ansem told ya the world's heart got corrupted by the Heartless bein' there, yeah?"

Sora nods. "That's what Ansem said. He said that the heart was like a sick person, full of Darkness but not destroyed."

"Well, I figure that every person born on a world is sorta connected to its heart," Cid posits, throwing aside old shoes, several recipe books, and a large lamp shaped liked a woman's leg. "And that connection is important to a person's heart, which is why a lotta people that lost their world, if they ain't strong enough, tend to get a little… Droopy, I guess you could say."

"So Hollow Bastion's heart being sick is making everybody _from _there sick too?" Azlyn asks. She thinks she gets what Cid is saying, but all this scientific mumbo jumbo honestly isn't her strong suit.

"In a manner of speaking," Cid replies, sniffing at a ham and cheese sandwich to check if it's still good. Honestly he finds it a bit iffy, but takes a bite anyway. Not bad! "I think that Hollow Bastion's corruption has kinda corrupted the memories parts of our hearts."

"So if I seal it with the Keyhole, people might remember?" Sora asks, which gets him a shrug from Cid, who now uses one hand to dig and the other to hold his snack.

"We'll see about that when we get there," Leon says.

"Oh, are you coming with us?"

The man nods. "There haven't been any Heartless sightings here since you sealed the Keyhole, and even if the Darkness Ansem's Keyhole let out makes them stronger, I think this world is close enough to Disney Castle that Kairi should be protecting it with that Cornerstone you mentioned."

"Oh man Leon, why didn't you tell me!" Yuffie blurts, rising from her seat and doing a front flip over Sora and Azlyn's couch. "I've got stuff to pack! Oh, man!"

Aerith puts down the reports, looking sad and concerned. "Well, that was certainly… disturbing."

Telary takes a seat beside the woman, looking at her quizzically. In the background, Cid wonders why he ever thought he'd need _two _can openers!

"What did you learn?" Leon asks, his voice not as casually disaffected as usual.

"It's like the other reports said: Ansem found Hollow Bastion's Keyhole in the castle basement… along with the Heartless," Aerith explains. "He opened the door and brought down the barriers and everything like that. But, he did something else too. Something horrible."

"He talked about testing the Heartless in the last reports, right?" Telary asks.

Aerith nods, looking sick. "Yes, but that's not all. You see, he wanted to discover everything about them: behavior, reproduction… diet. So, to that end, he started locking people down there with the Heartless. Live ones, and then he'd see what happened. I don't think I have to tell you what he discovered."

"He was feeding people to the Heartless!" Sora exclaims, full of righteous anger and disgust. How could one man possibly be so horrific? And in the name of nothing more than scientific curiosity!

"Good grief I want to knock this guy down hard!" Azlyn adds.

"That's not the worst part, though," Aerith reveals. "You'll all be especially interested in this: Ansem was the reason Kairi vanished." Despite the gasps and other shocked noises from the trio, the woman continues on. "He cast her out into the space between worlds, thinking that somehow she had a natural ability to find the Keyblade master."

"Me…" Sora breathes, barely getting the word out. So all this time, _he _was the reason Kairi had come to Destiny Islands?

"Things make even _less _sense now," Telary laments. "I mean, if Ansem was the one who made Kairi disappear, then why would he let the king take me and Azlyn away? Was he just trying to cover for himself?"

"I can't say," Aerith admits sadly.

"AHA!" Cid exclaims triumphantly, standing up from behind the counter, a green and blue Navigation Gummi in his hand. "I finally found the little sucker! It was underneath some… uh, magazines!"

"So we have a way into Hollow Bastion?" Sora asks, standing up eagerly, ready to seal the world's Keyhole and give Kairi a break from her efforts with the Cornerstone.

"That you do, my friends!" Cid declares with a strong nod. He takes another bite of his sandwich, and suddenly realizes _why_ it was abandoned so long ago.

**KH-KH-KH**

Beast meets the group in the castle's entrance chamber, thankfully free of Heartless.

"Belle and the Princesses are all waiting up in the chapel," he explains as the large group follows him up the stairs. "I found a shortcut for getting there through here."

He leads them through the small hallway off the main hall that had been previously sealed by a strange stained glass lock, so foreign a device that even Sora's blade could not open it. For a brief moment the Keybearer wonders how Beast managed to open it, but decides it doesn't matter.

They all pile into a single large elevator, Cid activating it. He plays with it in a more complicated pattern, muttering under his breath all the while.

"I remember now that I used to hate this thing," he says huffily as he steps back, the platform rising to the castle's higher levels. "It's funny how little things are comin' back to me, but…"

"Nothing big," Leon finishes, nodding as he examines the various floors their ride takes them past. "I'm not even sure I've ever been in this castle before."

Sora frowns. "Uh, where else would you live? You saw that all there is out there is a big dark abyss. Even the Gummi scanners couldn't find anything."

"I distinctly remember a town, though," Aerith argues, in her own genteel way. "I remember a flower shop… There were always lots of plants and flowers around, like the whole town was a giant garden…"

There's no time to further explore the thought as the platform stops. The group steps out, and Sora immediately recognizes the hallway between the chapel and the Grand Hall. He spares a wary glance to the closed double doors of the hall, and he can just barely make out a bit of a shimmer hovering over them.

Beast leads the party into the chapel, where all six of the Princesses of Heart stand in a circle, eyes closed and concentration locked in tight.

Hearing them come in, they all turn around to face the newcomers. Alice and Jasmine immediately perk up upon seeing Sora and his companions, and Belle goes to the Beast, leaving the other three standing back to watch.

"Oh, Sora it is really marvelous to see you again!" Alice greets, curtsying politely. Sora smiles, remembering that the last time he saw the girl do that she was locked in a cage.

"I'm glad you're okay, Alice!" the Keybearer gushes back, pulling the little girl in for a rather awkward hug. She giggles at the strangeness of a young man being so openly affectionate. After a moment he pulls back and turns to Jasmine as well. "Good to see you too, Your Highness." He looks away and sheepishly scratches at his neck. "I'm, uh, sorry about letting you guys get kidnapped. If I'd been just a little better…"

Jasmine shakes her head. "Oh, Sora, I know you tried your best." She lays a sympathetic hand on his shoulder. "And you're so young too. It absolutely devastates me to see what the Darkness has made you, and Alice, and all the children of all the worlds endure."

"That's why we need you to seal that Keyhole, Sora," Belle says, extricating herself from a conversation with the Beast. "It's the only way to keep the Darkness from overwhelming all the worlds."

"We've been trying our best to hold it back, but it's difficult," Alice says, gesturing back to the three other Princesses, who still stand together with their eyes closed. "We had a really dreadful time of it at first, but not that long ago, it all did seem to get a bit easier."

Sora nods with a grin. "Yeah, that's because of Kairi. She's been using the Cornerstone of Light to help hold back the Darkness."

"Well then you'll have to thank her for us when you next see her," Belle says. "Without her help, I fear all may have been lost."

"And it still might be if we don't get our butts in gear and seal that Keyhole," Azlyn interjects, tired of all this standing around while there's work to be done.

"I agree, Sora," Leon says commandingly, stepping up and placing a hand on the Keybearer's shoulder.

"Okay, Leon," Sora agrees. He looks back to the Princesses with a sympathetic smile. "Thanks again for everything you've been doing. You all have saved the universe just as much as I have. I'll never forget this."

And so the group, consisting of Sora, Azlyn, Telary, Leon, and Yuffie, all exit the chapel into the hallway. Across the hall, they can see that despite the glow around the door, pure Darkness is doing its best to push through wherever it can, fighting its way into the corridor inch by inch.

From a long, low tendril springs forth a dozen Shadows, hungry for hearts all. The group prepares their weapons and charges forward.

Leon and Sora hit the wave first, blades flashing as they beat back creature after creature, the others using all their skills to pick up what the duo lets through. The heroes struggle valiantly, but the Heartless refuse to give a single inch.

"You have to press on, Sora," Leon declares, blasting back a trio of Shadows with fire spat from the gunblade's revolver handle. "Let me and Yuffie hold the line here, and you and your friends get that Keyhole sealed. Got it?"

Sora nods. With a confirming look at Azlyn and Telary, Sora slashes through a last row of Shadows and moves forward, swiping away what he can of the still oncoming tide just to get his feet moving.

There's a loud sound like a swarm of angry bees and Sora briefly turns to see Yuffie using a giant-sized shuriken to sweep back waves of Heartless. She gives him a wink, then throws another pair of tiny blades to help him progress.

After a bit of work, the trio gets past the flood of Heartless and steps into the Grand Hall proper. Darkness flows here too like water, flooding down like some ashen waterfall from its source at the Keyhole machine. Other than the muffled sounds of Leon and Yuffie's battle behind them, it's oddly still and quiet, which makes Sora more than a bit suspicious.

Nevertheless, he begins the short trek to the machine's platform, Keyblade still out and ready to do its duty. Azlyn and Telary walk beside him, giving him strength and support, and he can feel Kairi's charm in his pocket doing the same.

As he steps up to the platform, he can't help but stop, staring at the spot where he destroyed part of his oldest friend, and intended to destroy himself as well. He hesitates to even take another step forward, too haunted by the old demons infesting his spirit.

And then he feels a hand on his shoulder, followed soon by another on his opposite shoulder. Sora looks back to see Azlyn and Telary both smiling at him, giving him silent encouragement as they fill his spirit with their love and goodwill.

"You've got this, Sora," Telary says compassionately, his smile bright enough that Sora almost thinks it could penetrate the flood of Darkness by itself.

"And we've got you," Azlyn adds, the fierce look in her eye lending a fire to Sora's own spirit.

Taking another deep breath and concentrating again on nothing but the friends at his back and the charm in his pocket, Sora steps forward, finishing his last stride at the exact spot he'd "died" not long ago, practically daring fate to try and deliver him another inconvenience again.

"I've probably said this before," Azlyn whispers to her tall counterpart, a bit of a giggle in her voice, "but our boy really has grown up right, hasn't he?"

Telary nods. "He sure has, Azlyn. He sure has."

Sora raises the Kingdom Key up to point at the swirling darkness of the dimension inside the device, clearing his mind of all distractions, laser focused on his duty. He feels the Light gather at the tip of his blade once more, slowly building its power, creating an impenetrable Light to lock Hollow Bastion against ever falling to Darkness again.

It feels different this time, though, more intense in a way. Like before Sora has been the single beam of a flashlight illuminating dark corners, and now he is the sun, the radiant light of his heart and blade casting out all Darkness and replacing it with Light.

The reaction from the Keyhole is appropriately spectacular as well, white light shooting through the Darkness, replacing its evil. The flash spreads across the device's portal, and when it fades it leaves behind nothing but a bare wall and exposed wires.

Sora beams at his accomplishment, and receives similar adulation from his compatriots at having driven out the Darkness.

Except the odd black mist coating the floor remains, though now there's only a finite amount, that which had already escaped the Keyhole. Curious, Telary's eyes follow its progression, and with an acute sense of dread and terror the wizard realizes that the Darkness is coming together, forming a shape from its willowy wisps.

When the quadrupedal shape finally solidifies, purple and lilac color rushing over its monstrous form, it reveals a massive behemoth of a Heartless, with long curling tusks, hoofed feet perfect for stomping and crushing, and a large black horn in the middle of its forehead. The Heartless symbol, nearly of a size with the Keyhole machine, stands out prominently against the thing's chest.

The Behemoth rears back its head and unleashes a mighty roar, and it's only Azlyn's quick reflexes that save the trio from being fried by a huge bolt of lightning that comes in from skyward.

They land on the landing between the platform and main hall, bouncing against the thin carpet with a hard _thud_ that each and every one of them consider a much better alternative to being fried.

"That is some Heartless," Azlyn mutters as she rises, the boys finding their feet as well despite the groundshaking that occurs with every stomp of the creature's cloven feet.

"What, are ya scared?" Sora snorts at her mock-derisively. "Does the big bad Heartless make Azlyn wanna run for safety, let the big boys handle it?"

The knight rolls her eyes and scoffs loudly.

The Behemoth steps forward slowly, behaving more like a jungle cat than the mammoth it resembles. The trio all tense up, prepared for a battle that may be their last.

Or maybe not, considering the huge blast of pure concussive force that slams into the creature, engulfing it in fiery doom. The creature rears back its head and cries out, but in competition with the noise of its final explosion, the roar loses big time.

When the dazzling lights and sounds of the explosion fades, all the trio can hear is Cid's gruff voice yelling out, "Hot damn, it still works!"

Looking down, Sora notes that in his hand Cid is holding an impressive looking contraption, some kind of rocket launcher based on what had just been demonstrated against the Behemoth. Behind him stand Leon, Yuffie, and Aerith.

"No fair, you totally stole my kill!" Azlyn rages down at the old mechanic, who simply shrugs and lets out a high-pitched laugh like a prospector that's just struck gold.

"But we're very grateful, Mr. Cid," Telary assures the old man, definitely not wanting to provoke anyone currently wielding a handheld missile launcher. Upon further inspection, Telary realizes that the device is actually a cannon, like one might attach to a Gummi ship.

"So, you did it Sora," Leon says appreciatively, moving past the trio and leading the whole group up onto the machine platform. The lightning called down by the Behemoth had turned the device into so much scorched junk, leaving even the control panel a busted, blackened mess.

"So, now that the Keyhole's sealed, do you all have your memories back?" Sora asks, turning to the group and realizing that he is the only one in the room not from this world.

They all frown at each other, shaking their heads sadly and, in Azlyn and Cid's case, frustratedly.

"The Darkness is still strong," Aerith says simply, acceptance in her voice. "I think that once you defeat Ansem and his Heartless legion, everything will be restored. All worlds returned to their proper place in the universe."

Sora suddenly feels a tightness in his chest, and his breath quickens as the though dawns on him. "Do you mean… Do you mean that if I defeat Ansem, then my island will be restored? Just like it was?"

Leon smiles at the boy, but it looks sad. "Yes, all of the worlds will be restored, everything lost back where it belongs."

"People will return to their homes," Aerith chimes in.

"So I guess this is kinda goodbye too, huh?" Yuffie states with a chuckle and a shake of her head.

"But I can visit you guys in the Gummi ship," Sora says, miffed at all of the sorrow intruding on this should-be joyous moment. "No problem, right?"

"Well, only if you mean 'no problem' in the sense that there's a _huge _problem," Cid interrupts, finishing his examination of what's left of the Keyhole. Sora whirls to face the curmudgeonly engineer. "Y'see, before the Heartless came and effed everything all up, the worlds were divided. Big ol' walls separated 'em from each other. Take down the Heartless, and I'll betcha them walls'll come back good as new."

"Gummi ships will be useless?" Telary says sadly, feeling the phantom tingle of steering yokes in his hands. Azlyn feels similar beside him, though it's turret joysticks she imagines.

"I'm afraid so," Leon confirms with a sigh, looking down at the ground with his arms crossed, an illusion of aloof disaffectedness. For a moment, the chamber is silent. "But y'know something, Sora?"

"What?" the Keybearer asks.

"Even if we never see each other again, it doesn't mean our friendship will end," the man in leather says, sounding more optimistic than Sora can ever recall him being. Upon further examination, Sora even sees a smile on his lips. "If we stay in each other's hearts, and we don't forget about each other, we'll still be together in the ways that matter." Behind him, Aerith, Yuffie, and Cid nod their agreement.

"You know something, I don't think I could forget about you if I tried, Sora," Yuffie says with a giggle.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sora shoots back indignantly. Everyone laughs, a quick moment of fleeting joy cutting through the occasion's gloom.

"Um, excuse me," the familiar voice of Jasmine cuts through the silence that follows the group laugh. She looks a bit nervous in the presence of so many strangers, but manages to mostly hide it underneath regal poise. "The Princesses would like to see Sora in the chapel. When you're finished with your goodbyes, of course."

"It's not goodbye," Sora says with abject certainty. "It's a see ya later, and that's a promise!"

It's the weight of the charm in his pocket that allows him to say those words.

After a sincere round of goodbyes with the Hollow Bastion crew, the trio follows Jasmine back to the chapel.

As they walk the hallway between hall and chapel, Telary notices out of the corner of his eye that Azlyn is trying to hide some tears that have spilled past her eyelids and on to her cheeks. Realizing she's being watched, the knight whips her head up to look at the wizard, biting her lip in shame.

Telary merely rolls his eyes, not exactly free of moisture themselves, and presses a finger to his lips. She smiles back at him.

They enter the chapel to find the Princesses arranged in a semicircle.

"You have done a fine job, Sora," says a Princess that Sora doesn't know, tall and willowy with hair that rivals the gold of sunshine and lips so red as to put a rose to shame. She wears a blue dress that Sora can't help but imagine in pink, somewhere in the back of his mind. "You sealed the Keyhole and destroyed that dreadful machine, so that our powers may never again be used for evil."

"Nevertheless," chimes in another princess, dressed in yellow and blue, her snowy pale skin creating a distinct contrast with her dark hair, "you were too late to stop Ansem from opening the path to his true destination: a world made of Darkness, constructed from the fragments of worlds long destroyed by the Heartless. Behold…."

All six Princesses raise their hands, and suddenly an image forms in the air above them, a swirling vortex, bright white light surrounded by black clouds, deep purple nebulas spinning around its perimeter.

"The End of Worlds," Belle says, looking at the projection with equal parts awe and trepidation. Behind her, Beast winces at seeing the woman looking so cowed. "It has been created from the remains of all worlds devoured by the Heartless, broken and trapped within its dark embrace."

"So it's like a Heartless _world_!" Telary exclaims with a gulp. He nearly has to step back, but Azlyn's hand against his wrist steadies him

"Somewhere within, we believe Kingdom Hearts lies," says the final unknown princess, blonde and wearing a sparkling silver gown and glass slippers. "Only you, Keyblade wielder, can plunge into its depths and seal the Door."

Sora gulps, nerves suddenly overtaking his whole body. To fight the shakes, he reaches into his pocket and retrieves Kairi's charm, running his thumb along its edge and relishing the comfort he finds in it.

"We can open the path to this world, Sora," Alice informs the boy, sounding much older than her presumed eleven or twelve years. "But beware: Once you plunge into the heart of Darkness, there will be no turning back. The only way out is through, never mind the perils you will face."

Sora turns back to look at Azlyn and Telary. It's as much their decision as his, after all, their own lives they're putting on the line.

Azlyn rolls her eyes. "Honestly, Sora, after all this time you still think you need to ask?"

"Of course we'll go with you," Telary says with a nervous nod. "If only to make up for Azlyn's plan…"

"Even in the face of certain death he manages to bring this up," Azlyn huffs, crossing her arms and scowling.

Sora smiles, once again reminded of the true friends he has in the pair. "Thanks, guys." He turns back to the Princesses. "Yes, open the way. We're taking the fight to Ansem, whether he's ready for it or not."

"You have chosen, Keybearer," Jasmine says solemnly. "You are the last hope against the madman and his Darkness. Do not fail us."

Suddenly, the Princesses' eyes begin to glow with bright light until their pupils fade to pure shining white. The visual representation of the End of Worlds begins to shift and change, growing larger and brighter until it forms into a doorway of pure white Light, shining tendrils waving around its frame.

Steeling himself, Sora steps into the Light that will lead him to deepest Darkness.


	37. All That Remains

The energy radiating from the portal, pure Light as much as the Keyhole machine contained a pure Darkness, seems to rejuvenate Sora in the fleeting moments he is inside of it, calming him and restoring his strength.

When he steps through, the feeling fades, and he finds himself in a large cave of purple rock, illuminated only by light shining through the entrance. After making sure Azlyn and Telary are with him, Sora steps out to greet the End of Worlds.

He and his companions stand on a small stone island in a vast sea of clear water, so reflective of the purple and white sky above that it is hard to tell where one ends and the other begins. The odd sea stretches out to the source of the area's light, a mass of pure white that gleams powerfully just behind a bevy of large pillars of stone.

"What the hell kind of place is this?" Azlyn marvels, looking all around and trying to comprehend it all.

"Belle said that it's everything that's left of the worlds the Darkness has taken," Sora reminds his companion, similarly awed, though trying to contain it. "So I guess it's kind of like a Heartless world."

"Just hearing you say that gives me the creeps," Azlyn notes with a shiver and shake of her head.

"But everything will be restored when we beat Ansem, though," Sora tries to assure his companion, placing a hand on her shoulder to offer what comfort he can. "Things will go back to normal, worlds will reform. Everyone will go home where they belong."

"But where do _I _belong?" Azlyn says, sounding stressed as a million different thoughts course through her nervous mind. "I mean, if you asked me I'd say that Disney Castle is my home, but I'm _from _Hollow Bastion. So when things get restored, where will I go?"

Sora frowns as the thought hits him, suddenly worried that the restoration will see him returned to his islands and Kairi back in the dilapidated castle of Hollow Bastion. Once the walls between worlds are restored, how can he ever return her charm to her, fulfill his promise?

And if his actions restore the worlds that the very place he is standing in is made of, who's to say that he won't merely disappear along with it? Even with victory, survival is far from guaranteed.

"Would you two just relax already?" Telary chimes in unexpectedly, shocking both of his companions out of their melancholic reveries. They snap to attention and fix their eyes on the mage as he steps forward, facing them with a serious look in his eyes. "No matter what happens, no matter how bad things could get, even in the worst of worst case scenarios, our hearts aren't going anywhere!"

"But…" Azlyn attempts to protest.

Telary cuts her off with a deliberate shake of his head and wag of his finger. "Oh there aren't going to be any 'buts' here, missy, I won't accept them." His expression softens, his genial nature returning. "How many times have we said that our hearts will find their way back to each other, that we can't truly be separated as long as we remember? Are we just going to forget that now, leave our promise unfulfilled?"

Sora's hand goes to the charm in his pocket. He draws the star-shaped object out, holding it in his hand and looking at it, remembering the moment Kairi gave it to him, and feeling the phantom tingles of Kairi's lips on his.

Azlyn looks at her charm too, the necklace she'd turned into a bracelet, always there to reassure her when things seem dark.

And although Telary has no token, he can feel his sister in his heart as clear as anything, as eager as he is to return to each other, become a completed family once again.

"We made a promise to Kairi, and I don't know about you guys, but I intend to keep it, eh?" He holds out his hand, and at the sight Sora and Azlyn reach out as well, joining their Kairi objects together as well as their hands. "All for one, and one for all?"

"All for one…" Azlyn repeats, smiling brightly.

"And one for all!" Sora finishes as the trio throw their hands up into the air. Confidence restored, Sora takes a tentative step out onto the water, finding that despite its liquid appearance it holds his weight. As someone who's been surrounded by water his entire life, the dream of walking upon it like a path has been a part of him for as long as he can remember using imagination. There's a certain lightness to his steps as he begins to walk further out, heading towards the stone pillars and their light.

"Yeah, let's go beat up on some Darkness!" Azlyn laughs courageously, obviously well over all her doubts.

Telary frowns down at her. "Y'know, Azlyn, I'm pretty sure the kind of Darkness we're talking about isn't exactly anything you could punch."

The knight shrugs aloofly. "I dunno, Tel. I've punched a _lot _of stuff."

The wizard rolls his eyes and takes to looking around, the solid sea seeming to stretch out for infinite miles in every direction, any recognizable horizon lost in the perfect reflection of sky against sea.

He looks down in hopes of divining anything he can underneath the mirror-like surface, but instead of seeing anything underneath, he finds his eye caught up in the reflection of the sky. In particular, the spheres of pure black Darkness that are falling from it.

Startled, he looks up, confirming that he and his companions are indeed being set upon from above. "Guys, look up!"

Sora and Azlyn immediately whip their eyes skyward at the wizard's command, seeing the orbs raining down on them, growing ever closer. Without a word, they begin to sprint for the light beyond the pillars, pushing their legs to the limit.

Telary tries as well, but finds himself stumbling over a tiny rock jutting out in the midst of the sea. He falls to his knees, splashing up a few drops of water upon impact. Looking up, he just barely catches sight of a falling orb before it touches against his back. With a final scream, he disappears into violet light.

Azlyn hears Telary's screams and hesitates her next step, looking back just in time to see her counterpart vanish. She cries out his name and foolishly takes a step back towards his last location, stepping right into the path of the next falling sphere and disappearing just as the wizard had.

Sora keeps going nonstop, dodging and weaving around the deluge of dark spheres that threaten to swallow him like they had his friends. His legs begin to ache but still he pushes onward.

It seems like hours before he reaches the first pillar, stopping to catch his breath as he notices that the onslaught of dark orbs has ceased, leaving him alone in the endless wasteland.

After spending a fleeting, futile second glancing across the vast plain for any sign of his companions, Sora turns reluctantly for the light, holding his hand up and squinting against its brightness.

_Azlyn… Telary… _he thinks, running through Telary's speech once more in his mind for reassurance, _Please be okay. Please._

**_The End of Worlds_**

A steady drip, like water leaking from a faucet, slowly draws Azlyn back into consciousness, dispelling the darkness inside her head. She opens her eyes and sits up, taking in a good look at her new surroundings.

She seems to be in a cave of some kind, dark grey stone as far as the eye can see. Despite long tunnels leading both right and left, the space feels as cramped as a shipping crate after experiencing the vast openness of the odd sea.

Turning her head for further examination, as well to work out some stiffness that had appeared in her neck, Azlyn spies something protruding from the stone wall. She stands slowly, shaking out further stiffness in her joints as she rises.

Moving slowly, she gets close enough to examine the object sticking from the wall: it's a gem as large as her fist, so deeply purple it almost looks black. She rubs a finger along its length, feeling its smoothness. It's odd, she thinks, that an uncut stone could be so smooth to the touch.

There's a sudden burning pain and Azlyn retracts her finger, hissing as the ache fades.

There's another round of dripping behind her, and the knight turns to find the sound's source, eventually noticing a steady dropping of liquid from a crack in the cave's ceiling. Surrounding it are more gemstones, varying in size and cut, all colored the same deep purple.

Looking around, Azlyn begins to notice that the entire area is filled with the precious stones. For a fleeting moment she wonders how much all of these jewels might be worth, once mined and polished and cleaned.

She shakes the thought clear of her head, pulling her focus back to her friends. Her lack of death makes her much more optimistic about the fate of Telary, but she still fears for the older boy, lost and alone in a strange world quite literally made of Darkness. Sora must be alone as well, she remembers.

The knight stops and takes a moment, holding up a hand to get a feel for which way the breeze is blowing, and therefore which tunnel leads to escape.

"And leave behind all of this loot?" a voice suddenly chimes in to interrupt her thoughts, so distinct and unmistakable Azlyn can't help but recognize it.

It's her own voice.

The knight whirls back around to see a shadowy version of herself leaning up against one gem-encrusted wall, leering at her with glowing yellow eyes. It reminds her of the dark copy of Sora she'd fought on Hook's ship. An AntiAzlyn.

"Are you feeling well?" the dark reflection asks mockingly, pushing off the wall and sauntering closer to her human counterpart. "After all, it's hard to imagine you leaving behind such a _treasure_…"

"My friends are in danger," Azlyn replies pointedly. "I have a job to do…"

AntiAzlyn laughs uproariously, cutting off the genuine article, and pissing her off too. "What do you care for those people? That's not why you set out on this journey, stole the Gummi ship and derailed your king's plans. You never once thought about those in danger, _helping_ anyone, did you? It was all about _your _destiny, _your _name. Wasn't it? And of course, whenever you caught sight of an opportunity to loot the worlds you took it. Or don't you remember jeopardizing the lives of your 'friends' in the Agrabah cave?"

Though she knows it's falling right into AntiAzlyn's trap, the knight can't help but analyze the words. She knows that she didn't set out with altruistic motives, cared little for the actual mission. She'd even mistreated Sora when he wanted to help an innocent girl in need. Not a very heroic action, to be sure.

"Maybe you're right, lady," she concedes with a little nod. "Maybe I took off on this quest for selfish reasons, maybe I do go a bit overboard when it comes to munny. But I've learned stuff, make no mistake about that. I know that things are bad, and the universe is in trouble. It's my job to help Sora stop that from happening." She steps forward and draws her shield out. "And y'know something, I don't care if nobody ever finds out it was me that did it. _I'll _know that I did, and I'll know that when destinies got handed out, I got one hell of a great one!"

AntiAzlyn scowls. "Very well," she says, her form already beginning to shift and change, the words bolder, echoing off the walls as she deforms into a group of Shadows. "I'm glad to hear that you don't care about the accolades, because here's a little secret, honey." The swarm charges, and Azlyn prepares to fight.

"There's not going to be anyone left around to give them to you!"

**KH-KH-KH**

Telary stares up at the absolutely enormous castle above him, once immaculate white towers now fractured and dirtied, dark thorny tendrils growing out of every crack and wrapping themselves anywhere they can. Dark clouds loom above, violet lightning crackling through them and occasionally lighting up the area.

He's in a large square courtyard, just before the steps leading up to the castle's grand doorway, a violet light shining from within. Across the courtyard, past a large fountain long dormant, a wrought-iron gate stands tightly shut, leading into a dark woods beyond. Several broken carriages litter the grounds.

To distract himself from the utter fear he feels standing in the dark area, he begins to think on how exactly the sphere that struck him had brought him to this wretched place. Obviously some sort of teleportation spell, but where has it taken him? Is he even still within the End of Worlds?

He deduces that he must be, and this is merely a broken fragment of a world overtaken by the Heartless, a small piece that has clung to existence instead of succumbing to fading away.

Unfortunately this scientific, logical conclusion leads him once again to fear, wondering what kind of dark and terrible things could be hiding in such a place. He nabs his staff from its holster and holds it up.

"Do you really think that is going to do you any good?" a mocking voice that Telary barely recognizes as his own berates the wizard.

Looking up, Telary is shocked to see a shadowy version of himself standing at the top of the castle steps, sneering down at him with a cruel look that Telary knows he himself would never wear.

"You cling to your magic, your so-called 'knowledge', like an infant clings to its security blanket," AntiTelary says derisively, slowly stalking down a trio of steps. One look at the dark facsimile's glowing eyes is enough to send the true wizard back a step. "All you know is fear, Telary, admit it. I'm surprised you've even made it as far as you have. I suppose it's mostly due to hiding behind your friends, isn't it?

"You are a coward, Telary, plain and simple. What good are you compared to the great bravery of your friends? They are fighters, warriors with courage enough to risk their lives in combat, while you hang back and 'analyze'. How can you stand beside them and declare yourself their equal?"

Telary's breathes quicken as he thinks on the shadows words, leave him feeling paralyzed with doubts and, yes, fear.

"I guess you have a point, AntiTelary," Telary admits, looking down to the ground. "I've been scared to death ever since I read the king's letter, I admit that." He looks up, a fiery determination in his eyes that sets AntiTelary back a few steps. "But when I think of everyone out there I love being in danger, whether it's my friends, or the people who raised me, or my _sister_, suddenly it doesn't matter how afraid I am, how much I want to run or hide. My friends _are _brave, buddy, and that's what inspires _me_ to want to be brave like them!" He raises his staff, energy gathering at the tip. "_THUNDAGA!_"

Several bolts of lightning fly down from the darkened sky, pure white light against the dark backdrop of the world fragment. They crash into AntiTelary, cooking him into crispy dark oblivion before he can even cry out in pain.

When the bolts fade, Telary's legs finally can't take anymore and he falls back into the dusty courtyard with a fleeting sigh. After that moment of courage and display of magic, he desperately needs a rest.

"Telaaaary…" a high-pitched voice sing-songs from somewhere behind the wizard, the very sound of it sending a jolt of pure energy coursing through the young man's veins. "Telary, find me…"

Telary rises and begins making his way towards the familiar sound, his heart feeling lighter than it has since learning of his sister. When he reaches the gates they swing open of their own accord, allowing him entry into the dark forest. Remembering his earlier speech about overcoming fear, Telary steps out of the courtyard.

The road outside the castle starts out a wide, dusty lane, but soon begins to narrow as it extends into the forest. Within minutes there's hardly a path at all, and Telary can feel the bare branches of tall trees scratch against his clothing, occasionally getting caught and requiring a tug to separate.

It's during one of those tugs that Telary makes the mistake of looking up at a tree's trunk. His breath grows short and he feels a cold shiver of fear as he gazes up into a twisted face, staring out at him from the trunk. With jagged teeth and two hollow eyes that look like they'd been carved into the tree with a knife, it's enough to send Telary running further into the woods. He looks back and sees a pair of trees with similar visages, peering at him maliciously. The once benign branches seem to reach out, attempting to grab hold of him and drag him to some dark, unknown fate.

The wizard trips, falling to his knees and landing hard enough to send a pins and needles sensation shooting up his hands and arms. He suddenly hears something out in the brush, something small and quick, darting towards him, and the sounds of _cracks_ and _snaps_ as it fights through the brush.

"Telaaaary…" the familiar voice whisper-calls once again, and the wizard quickly regains his feet, placing a hand on his staff and preparing to draw it out as the mysterious beast looms ever closer…

Azlyn breaks through the last bit of brush between her and her counterpart, her eyes lighting up in the darkness of the forest when they find him. Telary sags in relief as well, holstering his staff and going to the girl with open arms.

They embrace for but a brief moment before stepping back, each checking the other over for injuries.

"Glad to see you," Telary says as soon as he finishes checking up on his companion. "When that dark sphere hit me, I ended up in a castle not too far from here, and there was this, uh, this shadowy me clone and…"

"Me too," Azlyn replies, checking the woods for any dark things that may be lurking about. "But I was in this mine, and then the shadow turned into a bunch of Heartless and then… Then I heard…"

"_His_ voice?" Telary interrupts, biting his lip and looking hopefully down at the knight, who nods slowly. "Do you think it could really be the…?"

Azlyn shrugs. "He hasn't been anywhere else we've looked, so it's a good bet he's been here the whole time. Maybe he has a plan to stop…"

"Come find me, Azlyn…Telary," the voice rings out again, echoing throughout the empty forest. When it fades, Telary finally takes a moment to stop and be disconcerted by the sheer silence of the dark forest. No bugs hum, no birds chirp, the only sound is that of he and Azlyn breathing.

And then Azlyn begins hacking through branches towards the voice, either not noticing or not caring about the tree trunk faces looking down on the pair with their empty eyes. They travel this way for an indeterminate amount of time, occasionally being guided by the gently calling voice.

Finally the pair break through into a large clearing, a wide open space with only a few spare trees growing. In the middle rests a large rock, a person no taller than Telary's waist sitting upon it. At the sight of the familiar three circle silhouette of the figure's head, Azlyn and Telary feel a powerful rush of pure joy.

"Your Majesty…" Telary breathes out, stumbling forward a few steps. Beside him, Azlyn moves forward almost as clumsily, shock overcoming her usual graceful steps. "Is that you, Your Majesty? We've been looking for you…"

"Have you now?" the king interrupts, something dark, haunting, and downright strange in his high-pitched voice. The words stop the pair in their tracks. "So, you've finally found me, eh? I suppose it's about time…"

"Like Telary said, we've been looking all over for you. After we found the key, of course, like you said," Azlyn picks up her counterpart's explanation, moving closer to their seated sovereign. "I, uh, I know that you said Donald and Goofy were the ones you wanted to find you, but, um…"

"Oh, I know all about your insolence," King Mickey hisses mockingly, his head shaking in pure disgust. Just the motion makes Telary's heart sink to the bottom of his stomach. Azlyn feels nothing, only numbness. "Your stupid, selfish decision. You thought you knew better than me, hm? You thought you could just lie and steal away in the Gummi ship, risking not only your own worthless lives, but those of everyone in my kingdom?

"And I suppose you thought that maybe, just maybe, if you somehow managed to bumble your way across the universe and cheat death time and again, I would just forgive you for it all? Well, it's too late…" The king stands and turns to face the pair.

Telary nearly falls to the ground and Azlyn takes several uncoordinated steps backwards, arms pinwheeling as she attempts to escape. For a moment all is silent, only the sounds of the Disney Castle pair taking frequent shallow breaths.

The King's eyes glow the sickly yellow of the Heartless, and he wears a blood-red jumpsuit similar to that of a Soldier Heartless, complete with Heartless emblem across the chest. Sharp claws extend from black gloves, hands curling in and out in anticipation of bloodshed.

"I've seen the Darkness, in its true form," the dark king taunts the pair, leaping off its rock and slowly stalking towards them, jagged mouth curved in a derisive sneer. "While you two were out playing hero, I was here, facing the true Darkness and being defeated. With Donald and Goofy on my trail I may have stood a chance, but because of you two, I…"

"No!" Telary cries out defiantly, standing tall and puffing out his chest confidently. Behind him, Azlyn watches the brave display in awe. "Whatever you are, whatever you're trying to do, it won't work! I know the king, he's been like a father to me since the day he took me into his castle, and he could never be like you!"

"He's right!" Azlyn backs up once she regains her voice, inspired by her counterpart's valiant example. "King Mickey is the toughest person I know, by a long shot, and he wouldn't be defeated by Darkness. This is just another trick, like those shadows. Well, guess what! _They _didn't work on us, and neither will _this_. You wanna beat us, huh? Well then you're just gonna have to do it the old fashioned way!"

Heartless Mickey stops in his tracks, gazing up at the pair before him with something like respect. Slowly, his form begins to twist and elongate, growing taller and wider until Ansem stands revealed before the pair.

The transformation startles them, but neither Azlyn nor Telary give an inch, standing strong against the dark man.

"You have faced your Darkness well, I see," the former scientist says enigmatically, looking over the pair with something like admiration. "Fine companions for the wielder of the Keyblade." He turns away, hands clasped behind his back. "It's only too bad that you have no way to _locate_ your friend," he says over his shoulder. "This world is vaster than most, and finding him will be an impossible task. By the time you do…"

"Sora can take care of himself," Azlyn argues, her fists clenched so tightly it almost hurts the knight. "But he won't have to for long, because I promise you that we _can _find him, and we will."

"Sora's heart and ours are connected," Telary adds. "That's how we'll find him, and when the time comes, that's how we'll defeat you. Together!"

Ansem shrugs noncommittally. "Perhaps you will, perhaps you won't. But know this, children. Whether he fights with you or alone, the Keybearer will fall, and the Realm of Light with him." The madman fades away into the air, leaving no trace of himself behind.

Ansem is barely gone before Telary starts forward again, pressing on to the other side of the clearing.

Azlyn tilts her head and calls after him. "Where are you going? Is that the way to Sora?"

Telary pauses long enough to shrug, then continues to move ahead. Bereft of other options, Azlyn rushes off after him, following her best friend back into the dark forest in search of the Keyblade master.

**KH-KH-KH**

With a last loud, keening roar, the Behemoth drops to one knee, surrounded by a nimbus of pink energy as it faces its final moments. Seconds later, the creature dissolves into nothingness and releases its captive heart into the air.

Exhausted, Sora falls back on his butt in the cold snow piled up in the small area, surrounded on all sides by purple crystalline structures. Ignoring the howling wind and the chill it puts through him, Sora drops his head into his hands and takes a much needed breather.

The strange light beyond the pillars had led him here, to a cold, barren wasteland of snow and rock, wind constantly blowing hard enough to make even simple walking difficult. But Sora had soldiered on, eventually arriving in this canyon where a Behemoth awaited.

He knows that he has to keep moving, to find Riku and defeat Ansem, discover what happened to Azlyn and Telary, but he also knows that if he doesn't take a second and rest, he'll collapse later on.

He feels Kairi's charm in his pocket, and takes it out for another look, examining it from both sides and any angle he can.

Overcome with a sudden urge, he summons the Keyblade and looks down at the keychain attached to it, a silver heart that gleams even in the faint light that seems to emanate from the very rock of the crystalline canyon. He licks his lips in thought, then slowly brings Kairi's charm up to the end of the chain links.

Setting the Keyblade down so he can better manipulate it, Sora swaps the original keychain for the charm.

There's a sudden light, beginning at the bottom of the Keyblade and growing until it wraps the blade's shaft in pure Light. When it fades, the Keyblade has changed.

The hilt is silver now, surrounded on each side by soft, feathery wings, like those of angels. A silver heart surrounded by black sits on the blade's pommel, and two silver shafts grow up from it about two feet. At the top, one shaft curves and becomes yellow, forming half of a heart that the other shaft curls to complete, two halves making one whole heart. From the left shaft spouts a seven-pointed star, forming the blade's teeth.

Suddenly, the word _Oathkeeper _flashes through Sora's mind.

"That's as good of a name as any," he chuckles to himself, thinking again on his promise to return Kairi's charm to her. He's glad he thought of this, not only because he can feel the power of Light radiating off the sword, but also because now there can be no way to separate him from the charm.

Suddenly reenergized, he stands, stretching out his legs as he prepares to get moving, perhaps find all of his friends. He sets out the opposite of the way he came, going what he's pretty sure is southeast.

Only the sound of the wind and his footfalls crunching against the packed snow keep him company, an eerie quiet for one so used to noise and activity.

After walking for what must be half an hour, Sora reaches an intersection, three paths snaking off in different directions. Pausing, the boy considers his options, trying to figure out the best path to take.

His decision is made for him soon enough, as out of the corner of his eye he catches a glimpse of something moving out through the leftmost path. He turns quickly to face it, but only catches a fleeting glimpse of something tall and in black before a gust of wind whips up a cloud of fine snow, obscuring his vision.

Curious, he takes off down the path, a thin, snowy trail that can't be any more than ten feet wide, surrounded on both sides by crystalline walls. The wind is strong in the tiny space, and Sora hugs his arms tightly to his chest as he proceeds.

Every minute or so he'll catch another glimpse of the black figure, which seems to be purposefully keeping just enough distance between itself and Sora that the Keybearer can't get a good look without it being obscured by blown snow.

After a few minutes of travelling, the canyon widens and opens up into another space, a large circular clearing ringed by purple rock. Just ahead, looming over Sora in a way that reminds the boy of the Cave of Wonders guardian, is a large cave, stretching back into the canyon wall and disappearing into darkness.

Cautiously, Sora creeps into the cave, realizing thankfully that it provides a perfect shelter from the winds, though the boy can hear them howling outside like a wounded animal. Moving further into the cave, he finds that it begins to slope downward, going deeper into blackness than Sora's eyes can pierce.

He summons the Keyblade almost instinctively, gripping the handle to remind him of the strength at his disposal before walking into the darkness of the underground. As he goes, he notices that the Keyblade emits a silver light, driving back the gloom and giving Sora a way to see where he's going.

Not for the first time, he wishes that Azlyn and Telary were here with him physically, their presences comforting him as he travels alone in the darkness within the caves of a dead world. He can still feel them in his heart, but at the moment that seems to not be enough. Still, the Keybearer takes his fear as a good sign, reasoning that Ansem would only retreat to the darkest part of the world, the most dangerous place he could find.

Suddenly Sora becomes aware of a light ahead, the violet-tinted color he has come to associate with Darkness cutting through the shadows. He surges forward, finally meeting a tall cliff, light spilling over its edge and filtering down to him.

There are several obvious handholds in the rocky face, and Sora dismisses the Keyblade to better manage the climb up, ascending quickly towards the mysterious luminescence.

With a last strong pull, he heaves himself up, looking out at a vast field of columns of purple light, softly glowing in the darkness of the cavern.

Curious, Sora walks to the nearest pillar and summons Oathkeeper. He takes an exploratory swing, only for the blade to pass harmlessly through the pillar with no more resistance than a swing through thin air.

Emboldened by the thought, Sora reaches out and plunges his free hand into the pillar, wincing preemptively against any pain. But there is none, his hand plunged to the wrist in the mysterious light. Taking a deep, Sora moves the rest of his body into the pillar.

He's standing in Traverse Town, the 3rd District plaza where he had met Azlyn and Telary, defeated the Guard Armor, and seen Riku for the first time since his island's destruction. It's empty and quiet, and Sora can feel the cool night air of the town, hear a faint music being played off in the distance.

Then he's gone, whisked away in a flash of light that fades out momentarily to reveal the Locus Forrest of Wonderland, tall multicolored grass still stretching high above and blocking most of the sun. There's a small rustling noise, and Sora turns to see a trio of insects zipping by, with the long bodies of matured butterflies but wings made of buttered bread.

Sora barely has enough time to be confused before he's engulfed in light again, this time leaving him in a clearing in Deep Jungle, the buzz of insects and distant howls of animals filling a silence the boy has become so very used to.

Flash after flash, Sora moves from one world he'd sealed the Keyhole of to the next, stopping only momentarily before moving on.

Finally the light diminishes, only for Sora to be engulfed by a sudden confusion. He's in a long hallway, surrounded by metal floors and ceilings. At the far end, seeming to hang on the wall like a painting, is a Heartless emblem that Sora thinks must be as tall as Telary.

Sora steps forward, tilting his head and examining the emblem from every angle. Drawing the Keyblade, he taps it against the symbol. There's a faint _whoosh_ noise from behind, and he whirls to see that a doorway he must have completely breezed past has opened itself automatically.

Sora walks inside to find a huge machine, massively complex and built directly into the wall. The most prominent feature is a large ovoid tank of some kind, oddly glowing purple fragments of something too small for Sora to see floating inside. The tank sits on a half-circle base, with six pods attached to it and spaced about two feet apart. Looking through the heart shaped observation glass, Sora can see the tubes are empty. This whole set up is hooked to a small keypad and viewscreen, reminding Sora of the Gummi ship's computer.

Cautiously, the Keybearer taps a button, and the screen lights up, words scrolling across rapidly. Sora tries his best to keep up, but all he can make out and understand are a scattered few words: "Heart", "Darkness" "Door" "One Key".

"Kingdom Hearts"

When the last word disappears, Sora reaches for more buttons, hoping to find a way to pull the words back, play them at a speed slow enough for him to understand them all.

He doesn't have time, though, as he feels a presence behind him. He whirls around to face the newcomer, Keyblade in hand and ready to strike.

His visitor is a tall man dressed all in black: boots and gloves, pants, his long, zippered coat. And the hood that is pulled over his head, shrouding his face in shadow.

"Who are you?" Sora demands, waving the Keyblade emphatically. "What are you doing here?" The man says nothing, nor does he move even an inch. "Do you… Do you know what this machine is supposed to be?"

"Hearts," the strange figure says simply, his voice deep and rough and hauntingly familiar.

Sora barely notes it though, turning around to once again peer up at the purple fragments floating in the container. Slowly, he comes to realize the significance of the hooded man's statements. Those glowing objects aren't fragments of something at all: they're hearts!

"So this is some kind of Heartless machine?" Sora wonders aloud, almost forgetting about the enigmatic presence of the man in black. "Is this how Ansem created the Heartless?"

"Much work was done here, in the pursuit of knowledge," the man behind Sora speaks up, shocking the Keybearer a bit. "It needed to be done here, where the meddler could not deter us. Here were many mysteries unlocked, regardless of what he considered _right_ and _wrong_. Such is the nature of all important work, I imagine."

By the time the man in black finishes his odd soliloquy, Sora is barely hearing the words, only the voice that spoke them. "Ansem!" he accuses, dropping into a fighting stance.

There's something in the way the figure's head tilts that conveys a sort of fond bemusement. "No, that's not quite right. Though the name _is_ familiar, it doesn't quite ring true." The cloaked man takes another step forward, and Sora countersteps backwards instinctively, his back brushing across the cool metal of the Heartless machine.

"Who are you?" he demands. "What are you doing here? Where's Ansem, huh? You said you knew him, where…?"

"You remind me of _him_," the man who is not Ansem remarks, still sounding playful and amused. "You certainly are two sides of a whole. But neither complete."

"What _are _you?" Sora asks, out of any questions other than the one.

"I… am a mere shell," the cloak says, taking a step forward and reaching out a hand to touch Sora's chest.

The Keybearer cries out as he feels the memories of his journey flash by, all the pain and joy and triumph and loss shooting through his head like a rocket through space and time.

As quickly as it had begun, it's over, and Sora opens his eyes to an empty room, only he and the Heartless machine, plus all the hearts trapped within.

Sora rushes into the hall, but it is empty as well, though a violet pillar of light now stands at the end opposite the Heartless emblem.

Had there been someone else, somebody in that room with him? Sora swears there was, but all of the details of any encounter seem to have slipped away. For some reason, he thinks back on the cave with the door on Destiny Islands.

But, whether or not Sora was alone in the room with the Heartless machine, he is definitely by himself now, only the low hum coming off of the violet column of light. With one last look at the odd machine, he senses it is time to move on, stepping into the column of light just as he had back in the underground cave.

The light deposits him in a long tunnel, perhaps twenty feet long with a large round hole in the floor of the far end, a light shining through. Looking around, Sora can see various objects growing out of the tunnel walls: a twisted, dead tree, a few crumbled pillars, even what appears to be the entire façade of a small cottage. He figures they must be remnants of dead worlds absorbed by the End of Worlds after their destruction.

When he reaches the end of the tunnel, Sora drops down into the hole, landing lightly on a mint green surface, hard like rock but with a sound like tapping against glass when he walks upon it. Purple rock surrounds the space on all sides and above, leaving Sora with the impression that this is a cave he won't be escaping.

The notion is enforced by a Heartless emblem at the far end of the chamber, though it seems to be made of craggy rock, rather than the smooth metal of the one in the hallway outside the machine chamber.

Sora takes a step towards the emblem, but stops in his tracks when he sees a Shadow rise from the ground in front of him, staring him down with its yellow eyes and twitching its body erratically.

Sora summons Oathkeeper and steps forward in a single movement, cutting the Heartless down as easily as he might swat a fly.

The easy victory makes him careless, and he nearly misses the pair of Shadows jumping to attack him from above, only barely managing to get turned around in time to slice them into nothingness with his blade.

More Heartless emerge from the floor, one by one rising and stalking toward the Keybearer. Gritting his teeth, Sora prepares for a fight.

Individually, the Shadows pose no problem, easily taken care of with single slashes of Oathkeeper. Some of the creatures even seem afraid of the blade, backing off against the faint white aura surrounding it, only to still be destroyed by it.

But though the Shadows are not cooperative and seem to have little regard for strategy, their sheer numbers increase the likelihood of simultaneous attacks tenfold, keeping Sora on his toes and swinging his key.

One Shadow scrapes its claws against Sora's leg before getting slashed, drawing first blood in the fight and putting Sora off balance long enough for a trio of Heartless to get inside his guard.

They slash at his feet, but the Keybearer manages to dodge the attacks and strike back, feeling the weight of two Shadows on his back as he does so. With a yell of outrage he summons a fire spell, and a nimbus of flame whirls around his body, crisping the pair hanging on and pushing the rest of the swarm cautiously back.

It's the opening he needs to get his concentration together for a Thunder spell, eliminating another swathe of enemies. Seeing a chance, Sora rushes the gap, waiting until he's outside the swarm to turn and plant his feet again, readying for another rush.

The Shadows turn to face him, and behind his mask of calm battle-preparedness, Sora longs for the comfort of Azlyn and Telary by his side, to share in this battle and perhaps give him a moment to compose himself.

Suddenly he feels something hot, like the sun baked rocks he used to collect off of the beach as a child. Taking a moment away from thinking about the coming hoard, Sora reaches into his pouch and locates the smooth object. Pulling it out, he realizes that it's the red orb recovered from Maleficent's cloak! Similar to Simba's summoning gem in every aspect but color, the stone sparks an idea in the Keybearer's mind.

Just as he had done atop the Gizmo shop, Sora looks into the gem, deep into the tiny light glowing at its center…

The stone becomes unbearably hot, even against Sora's gloved palm, and he yells out in shock, dropping the stone to the floor. It lands and there's a sudden explosion that takes out a few Heartless on its own, thick gray clouds of smoke emerging from the impact point.

A shadow rises from them, towering over Sora and filling his heart with hope. How could those Heartless possibly manage to stand against him whilst he has such a…

A tiny lizard, thin and red with a scaly yellow belly, strides confidently out of the smoke. Looking him over, Sora supposes the red claws of its hands and two tiny blue horns atop its head _could _do some damage.

As with Simba, time seems frozen around Sora as he prepares to greet the summon. Mushu is the lizard's name, he knows instinctively.

"Why you lookin' at me like that?" the summon sasses up to the Keybearer, crossing its arms defensively. "Haven't you ever seen a dragon before?"

Sora shrugs. "Uh, yeah I have, but that one was a lot bigger and…"

"And _what_?"

"Well, uh, fierce," Sora replies sheepishly.

"Oh, you want some fierceness, Sora?" Mushu says with a laugh, skittering up Sora's body to rest on his head. "I'll show you what _fierce_ really means, my man!"

Time returns to its normal flow, the Heartless crawling forward to claim the heart of the Keybearer. Sora hears Mushu above his head, the miniscule dragon drawing in a deep breath.

He exhales and balls of fire come rushing out of his mouth, pelting the Shadows like artillery fire. The first line is burnt up in seconds, and the second barely has time to retreat before Sora rushes forward, Mushu spewing flames at the Heartless. What Shadows escape the blaze, Oathkeeper takes care of in a few easy slashes.

Within a minute, the area is Heartless free. Already feeling a return to stone form coming on, Mushu jumps off Sora's head, turning to face the Keybearer with a smug look on his face.

"So, do ya think I was _fierce_ enough back there, huh?" Mushu goads the boy, waggling his eyebrows cockily.

Sora smiles at him, bending down to look Mushu in the face. "You definitely were, Mushu. I owe you one, big time!"

Mushu shrugs. "Well, if you ever find yourself down in the Land of Dragons, I'll be sure to cash that in, buddy. Best believe I will!"

"Totally, Mushu," Sora chuckles as the tiny dragon vanishes in a burst of light, leaving his red stone behind. Sora scoops it up and stands.

The Heartless seal still stands, barring Sora's passage into the room beyond. Wondering if perhaps the Keyblade can do something, Sora steps forward.

He stops dead in his tracks at the sight of a descending ring of dark orbs, followed by another, then another. There's a rush of purple flames, and when they recede, three large Heartless float above the floor, rounded blue swords in clawed hands. Their jet black skin has the sinewy-strong look of muscle, and a tiny section of heart-shaped flesh is missing from each of their chests.

They move forward, propelled through the air by purple wings and dark fireballs on their feet, swords raised to do serious damage.

A golden shield flies above Sora's head and catches the lead Invisible in the chest, sending it hurtling backwards into the path of a lightning bolt from above.

Sora's gaze follows the shield's flight path back into Azlyn's right hand, the knight still midair from jumping down into the cavern. Telary is right above her, staff out and prepared for battle.

"Azlyn, Telary!" Sora exclaims joyously, giving his companions a wide smile that is returned by both.

"Sorry we're late," Telary apologizes as the pair rush to battle positions beside Sora, facing the pair of remaining Invisibles, as well as a new trio that has shown up for the fight. "Azlyn wanted to see if there was a gift shop around here."

The girl shrugs. "I figured nobody'll believe me about this place without a postcard to show off. That a new Keyblade?"

Sora nods. "I'll have to remember to thank Kairi for it later," he says, holding up the key so his friends can see the thalassa charm fixed to its chain.

The time for banter ends, the Invisibles charging forward through the air with swords raised. Sora ducks under a sword swing and bats one creature aside with Oathkeeper, sending it into Azlyn, who slashes the monster straight through with her shield before twisting in the air and kicking another Heartless in the face, sending it down hard against the glowing floor.

Telary blocks two sword swings from two different Invisibles, ducks aside to avoid a thrust, then swings his staff out to connect with the Heartless's face, sending it back a few paces. Telary presses forward, though, knocking it again on the head. In a rush of dark flame, the Invisible disappears.

Watching Telary's back, Sora blocks a sword swing, turns the blade aside, and stabs through the Invisible's chest with the silver tip of Oathkeeper. When the Invisible fades, he turns and slashes diagonally through another.

Azlyn engages two Invisibles, turning from one to the other to block sword strikes and follow up with her hardest kicks. She turns aside a sword strike and spins, slashing through the other Heartless's neck. She turns back to deal with the remaining one, but feels a sudden rush of cold, turning to find a Heartless icicle courtesy of Telary. With a grunt, she shatters the beast with a single fist.

Sora slashes an Invisible's head off, then turns to his companions, suddenly feeling an idea coming in directly from his heart.

"Guys!" he calls to get Azlyn and Telary's attentions. They turn to face him and he raises the Keyblade into the air.

Understanding without a needing a word, Azlyn raises her shield and Telary his staff, the weapons meeting in the middle of their circle, white light glowing between them. Around the trio, a holographic ring of orange symbols appears and surrounds them.

Sora pulls the Keyblade back, taking the orb of light against its tip.

"Power of three! Trinity Limit!" he calls out, plunging Oathkeeper into the exact center of the trio. Suddenly yellow circles spring up in the ring around Sora, Azlyn, and Telary, depositing columns of light that radiate out to engulf the entire cavern.

The light fades, and the trio find that they don't even need a moment to adjust after the burst of brightness. The cave is empty of Heartless, and the seal at the end of the room is gone, leaving only a hole in the wall into the next chamber.

"So what was that about?" Azlyn asks with a raised eyebrow. "I mean, I didn't even think that was possible!"

Telary shrugs. "That's kind of what friendship is about, isn't it? Doing the impossible?"

Sora and Azlyn both roll their eyes at the cheese of the wizard's statement, but in their hearts they know it to be true.

"Let's get out of here before Telary comes up with any more phrases to sew on a pillow," Sora suggests.

"Says the 'my friends are my power' guy," Azlyn counters with a good-natured laugh, following behind Sora as he leads them through the hole in the wall.

They enter a small chamber of purple rock. Water flows from somewhere overhead to land in a bowl set into the wall, some of it spilling out onto the surrounding floor. Sora hardly notices, too fixated on the double-door in front of him.

_You are the one who will open the Door_

"Not gonna lie," Azlyn says, though Sora only hears the words as a bare whispers. "I was kind of expecting something better when it came to this Door everybody has been yammering on about."

Telary inspects the door, noting the pink marble of its face, the golden handles, and the yellow and pink stained glass above it. He steps forward for a closer look, but fails to notice a puddle of spillage from the bowl in the wall, slipping and sliding and tumbling down to land on his back.

The noise shocks Sora out of his haze, and he and Azlyn just look down for a second before bursting out in laughter.

"Hey!" Telary says warningly as he sits up, shaking a finger at his friends, both of whom are nearly doubled over. "That's not… this… this is no time to…Hahaha!"

The trio's laughter spreads and rises, filling the entire dark chamber with the sound of light and happiness, friendship at hope.

Sometimes, when faced with the End of the World, you just have to take a moment for laughter.

After a minute the guffaws fade out, leaving the trio standing together in the tiny cavern. Sora reaches down a hand to help Telary up, smiling at the wizard as he rises to his feet.

"Thank you guys, for everything," Sora says sincerely to the pair. "There's no way I could have gotten this far without you."

"Well, we _did_ have the ship," Telary points out with a shrug.

"Thank you too, Sora," Azlyn tells the Keybearer, fixing him with her most sincere smile. "When you found out we'd been lying to you, you could have easily told us to hit the road, but you didn't. You believed in us just as much as we believed in you. It's that kind of friendship and love that brought us to this point, and it's what's going to save the universe." The three clasp hands once more. "No matter what happens, we'll always be friends."

Nodding, Sora lets go of his companions' hands and summons the Keyblade, pointing it at the Door. Light gathers into a beam and shoots into it, both halves of the door opening just a crack, sending light spilling out into the tiny space.

* * *

**Let the final battle commence! Once again I'd like to thank everyone reading this, and encourage reviews**

**I know I didn't include Chernabog, but to be perfectly honest he was kind of useless plotwise in the game, just another boss. I tried a few ways to maybe include him during the outline stage, but none of them really fit, so if you were looking forward to that battle, sorry.**

**Well, only two chapters and an epilogue left! I can't believe I'm at this point after significantly less than a year, and I'm glad that this story has touched the hearts (haha) of all you reading.**

**Thank you once again, and I promise to update soon!**


	38. Final Battle

Sora collapses to his knees, letting them sink into the warm, soft sand. Azlyn and Telary both kneel beside him, the knight snapping her fingers in front of his face in hopes of drawing the Keybearer out of his shock.

He'd fallen as soon as the light had faded, seemingly overcome by the sight before him with no explanation.

"Sora, please, are you okay?" Telary asks, shaking the boy's shoulder.

"Say something, ya big palooka!" Azlyn demands, refraining from shaking the boy on the grounds that she knows she'd go too hard if she did.

"My…" Sora breathes out, barely able to control himself enough to do that. He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down, to not be overwhelmed by the sight before him. He looks up at his worried companions. "This is my _island_!"

And it is, looking as immaculate and picture perfect as it had the day Sora's journey began. Soft sand, warm but not stifling air, and fluffy clouds billowing lazily through a picture perfect blue sky. Sora sees the islet where he used to watch the sunset, the dock where he had tied up his boat every day. Even the sound of waves lapping against shore calms him.

"Wow, you weren't kidding about this place," Azlyn admits, looking over the area admiringly.

"This is where Kairi grew up, huh?" Telary says, also looking around. "You made it sound like she had a good life Sora, and I must say I truly believe you now."

"But why is it here?" Sora asks, rising to his feet. He hears a gull crying out somewhere overhead, and the simple pleasure of the noise nearly drives him back to the ground. "Is it trapped, like the other worlds?"

Telary frowns. "I'm not so sure. I mean, I was _in _one of those worlds, and it looked nothing like this. Everything was dark and twisted. It all felt wrong. This just seems… perfect."

"Uh, maybe not," Azlyn calls out, getting the boys attention. They snap their heads to the spot she's pointing at just in time to see the sunset isle bridge vanish completely into thin air. "Unless stuff dematerializing is some kind of regular thing here."

"Definitely not," Sora affirms, swallowing the sudden lump in his throat. "So this is a trick, right? Something Ansem did to throw me off?"

Neither Azlyn nor Telary can offer an answer before Sora shoots off up the beach, headed for a grassy patch beneath the cover of some large green leaves. They follow him, busting through the underbrush to find a small clearing in front of a rock face. A waterfall trickles down the high cliff and into a pool.

The water in the pool is not as Sora remembers it though, not clear and blue and sweet to drink. It's a sickly purple color, like a melted grape ice treat. He tentatively submerges his hand, engulfing it in a grimy feeling that turns his stomach.

Azlyn pulls his hand out quickly. "Hold on there, Sora. We've already got enough sick stuff around here without, y'know, _actual _sick stuff."

"What is happening?" the Keybearer says, pure disgust in his voice. "How could this all have gone so…"

_"This world has been connected."_

The sudden booming, echoing presence of Ansem's voice all around nearly shocks the trio into a stupor. They all step closer to one another, knowing there is no escape.

_"It is tied to the Darkness. Nothing can escape it. Its end will be final."_

"This is so not good," Azlyn points out, clenching her teeth just to keep them from chattering. "Where is he coming from?"

_"One who knows nothing can understand _nothing_."_

There's a sudden, loud crack from the direction of the beach, so loud that it shakes the ground beneath the trio's feet. They momentarily realize, however, that it is not the sound that is causing the quake, but rather the ground is quaking itself. It goes on so long and loud that Sora fears the island itself is breaking in two, destined to sink beneath the ocean in two halves and carry their corpses down with it.

After a minute the shaking stops, and everyone takes a moment to get their bearings before Sora leads them back to the beach, still stumbling about from a combination of the violent shaking and sheer fright.

The Keybearer bursts through the brush first, Keyblade in hand and ready to fight for his home. But, looking out at the sight before him, Sora wonders if this even _is _his home.

The sandy ground of the beach has cracked completely, splintering off into dozens of sections, exposed purple rock jutting out underneath. The sunset isle and pier are gone, lost as the island rose thirty feet into the air, far above the murky purple water below. There is no longer blue sky either, the lightened violet of the End of Worlds hanging overhead, dark clouds passing by.

Standing at the edge of the beach, hands resting on hips as he surveys his territory, is Riku, dressed in the same clothes he wore while possessed by Ansem. The very sight boils Sora's blood, and he races forward, Azlyn and Telary shaking off the sudden surprise at the island's deterioration and rushing to join him.

"I'm scared Telary," Azlyn admits to her counterpart.

"Not half as much as _I _am," the wizard replies with a rueful smile.

Riku chuckles, but it is Ansem's voice that comes forth from him once again. The thought of that madman profaning Riku's lips with his dark words enrages Sora. It brings to mind the battle before the Keyhole machine, and what he had been forced to do to his best friend.

The Keybearer tightens his grip on his weapon.

"Take a look at this tiny, pitiful island," Ansem pontificates, raising his arms to the violet sky. "This world is no less than a prison, trapping its inhabitants in their complacent, easygoing lives. Most live content, unaware of a greater universe, uncaring. A waste, by my reckoning."

Sora thinks back to his own life, the easygoing tranquility of it, never anything more worrying than a school book report in his path. For the majority of his life he had been content in this, happy to live his life in such an ideal environ. It hadn't been complacency in his mind. It had been home.

Telary too remembers how happily he had accepted a simple existence as an apprentice mage, not wishing to rock the boat of his destiny. Now here he was in spite of the fear that had held him back.

"So it came to pass there was a boy whose heart sought freedom," Ansem continues, his tone still snidely mocking. "He wished for a way to cross over into other worlds, to seek a life greater than the one that seemed in store for him. He feared that life, like a child fears monsters in its closet."

Azlyn bites her lip as she remembers her yearning for adventure, to bypass the dull life she knew awaited her and become more. She could have _been _Riku, taken the same path and arrived at the same desperate place. Suddenly, any lingering resentment she'd held for Sora's erstwhile friend passes away.

"To that end, he allowed the Darkness, the true power behind the worlds, into his heart." Ansem turns and Riku's body fades away, revealing the tall, tanned man in the white coat, sneering at the children that have been chosen by fate to be his final obstacle on the path to ultimate power and knowledge.

"Riku!" Sora cries out desperately, stepping closer to the dark man. Azlyn and Telary both take cautionary steps forward as well, ready to serve as backup when the need arises. "Riku, can you…?"

"You can shout all you like, boy. Your friend will not hear your cries," Ansem laughs, throwing his head back triumphantly. When he lowers it again, golden eyes seem to spear through Sora's very chest. "Once again his heart rests in the dark abyss, the very place of its birth. Just as with the worlds of this universe, the birthplace of all hearts is the Darkness, and so too their final resting place." He rises slowly into the air, his arms crossed haughtily as he explains the universe to these children. "So it follows that Darkness is the true essence of a heart, does it not? By its very nature, a heart allows Darkness to take root and spread in it. Hearts ache for Darkness, you see, because hearts _are_ Darkness!"

"No!" Sora yells defiantly, dropping into combat stance, Oathkeeper held tight in his hands. "You think you know everything, but you're _wrong_ Ansem! The heart can be weak." He thinks of a young knight and mage, setting out from their home in direct disobedience, determined to forge their own paths. "And sometimes it may even give in." Like a boy on the cusp of manhood, taking whatever power he sees fit to use to protect the ones he loves. "But no matter what, no matter how far you fall or lose your way, inside every heart is a light that can never go out, no matter how much Darkness tries to extinguish it!"

In less time than it would take to blink, Ansem moves to float behind the group, forcing the trio to turn to face him once again, looking up at his floating form.

"I'm disappointed, Sora," Ansem replies, actually sounding very disappointed, like a teacher with a student who refuses to learn the lesson. "I'd have thought that with all of the things you've seen on your journey, the depths of Darkness you've plunged, you might come to finally understand." The disappointment turns to something like sadness, though even that manages to look derogatory on the Dark Seeker's face. "But, I suppose it is like I've told you. One who knows nothing can understand nothing."

"Well, then I guess I must be the dumbest person alive."

"Oh, come now Sora," Ansem teases, dark particles floating behind him, just waiting for the command to coalesce. "Perhaps one last lesson will break through to you. All light must fade, you miserable wretch! All hearts shall return to Darkness!"

The particles behind Ansem come together to form a massive creature of pure Darkness, like some rabid mix of an Invisible and a Neoshadow, all sinewy dark muscle and razor claws. It possesses the most fully formed face of any Heartless the trio has seen, with large white eyes and a mouth of tombstone-like ivory teeth. Two long antennae trail behind its head, shot through with blue and black.

Ansem dives for the trio, Guardian swinging its massive claws at them with wanton abandon. Sora and Telary dodge, but Azlyn raises her shield, the Heartless's fist crashing into the golden material. It holds, and Azlyn allows herself to take another blow before diving away.

Telary fires off a trio of Fire spells, but Guardian swings around to protect its master, revealing a thick tail of Darkness. It takes the hits without complaint, the fire bursting harmlessly against its skin.

Sora takes this as an opening to attack Ansem, leaping through the air for a downward swing of Oathkeeper. He's too slow somehow, and Guardian manages to whirl around and block the blow. The Keyblade bounces off the Heartless like it's pure adamantium, sending Sora to an awkward landing in the sand.

Guardian brings its fist down for a swipe, but Sora manages to back off enough to only sustain a glancing blow. It still hurts, and he stumbles backwards, stunned.

A curtain of lightning bolts prevents Ansem from pressing his attack, and the madman whirls to see Azlyn and Telary at the other end of the beach. Gathering his power into a solid blue ram in front of him, he charges, laughing all the while.

"It pains me to see you like this, my children," Ansem says as sincerely as he can as the pair dodge around the attack. Azlyn throws her shield, but Guardian bats it away contemptuously. "I remember when you were no higher than my knee. You used to love spending time with your good friend Ansem…"

"Well," Azlyn says, backpedaling as Ansem floats towards her, Guardian making swipe after swipe at her, "if that's the case, then I guess losing the memories of my childhood wasn't _all _bad!" She ducks under an attack and plants a foot in Ansem's midsection. He stops midair, hissing at the pain. Azlyn doesn't get to enjoy her victory, however, as Guardian grabs her around the waist singlehanded and hurls her to the other side of the beach.

Telary does not take kindly to his friend being treated as such. "Graviga!" he shouts, reaching out his magical energy to crush the madman and his guardian into nothingness.

Ansem dodges easily. "You may disappoint me most of all, Telary," he says as he floats towards the mage, winded from his big spell. Behind him Guardian and Sora face off against each other. "You used to be so eager to see my experiments, so hungry for knowledge. What happened to you?"

"I found something better, I guess," the wizard heaves out, shifting his grip on his staff to two hands. He lashes out with it, pummeling Ansem's chest so hard the Heartless emblem holding his coat lapels together cracks.

The feedback from Ansem's pain hurts Guardian, and it cries out in anguish, giving Sora an opportunity to attack unabated, scoring a solid hit against its chest.

Ansem kicks out, hitting Telary square in the forehead and sending the young man tumbling backwards, towards the long fall into dark water.

Azlyn panics and races to hold her friend up, stopping his downwards roll and saving his life. Ansem moves to float before them, sneering down cruelly. Azlyn grunts and tosses her shield, but it flies straight over the former scientist's shoulder.

"It appears you've missed, dear knight," Ansem points out, laughing.

Azlyn shakes her head, and behind Ansem, Sora leaps into the air, bringing Oathkeeper down on the flying shield and sending it soaring back, slicing straight through the back of Guardian's vulnerable neck. The creature fades once again into disparate Darkness.

"Not so tough without your Heartless, huh?" Sora mocks the evil man before him, grinning mischievously. "What are you gonna do now?"

The trio charge him, but Ansem only throws up a shield around himself, violet laser bars encompassing him in a deadly sphere. The trio impacts against it and fly backwards to land hard on the sand.

"Do you think me weak without a Guardian, you insolent wastrels?" Ansem cries out like the rabid dog he is, raising his arms above his head. "Do you know where we truly are?"

The violet sky above fades, and the yellow sand turns to white stone beneath the trio. Looking out to where the purple ocean had once stood, Sora can only see Darkness, a black void.

"Behold the Endless Abyss!" Ansem declares, gesturing to the Darkness all around. "Within it lies the Heart of all worlds: Kingdom Hearts!"

The group looks left and sees the Door to Darkness, a massive double door made of shining white marble, losing none of its luster despite the lack of any light in the emptiness. Its handles alone are tall as Sora, and diamond shaped stained glass decorate its face. Above the door itself, midnight blue glass leads to a yellow heart displayed at its peak. Behind it, deep purple energy radiates out in the shape of a heart.

"It is here that all hearts are born," Ansem explains, a triumphant smile on his face as he contemplates inevitable victory. "Even your heart was created in Darkness, Keybearer! Darkness will conquer all worlds!"

Sora can feel the words washing over him like a tidal wave, making him want to give up, to give in to Darkness and accept failure. How can he win, indeed, if he fights within the source of all Ansem's power?

_"Giving up already, Sora?"_

Riku's voice, suddenly abounding in his head, drives away Sora's fear and doubt, the lingering Darkness infecting his spirit. The boy looks to Azlyn and Telary, both still firmly committed to the fight, ready to give all to resist evil.

They regain their feet, weapons at the ready!

"You will regret defying me!" Ansem roars, gathering Darkness around himself and rising even higher into the air.

"Ha!" Azlyn laughs, shield prepared for the group's final stratagem. "Not freaking' likely!"

Azlyn tosses the shield up, its rounded bumper facing the Dark Seeker. Sora takes a deep breath and jumps, grabbing the shield's edge with one hand and holding the Keyblade with the other, feet flat on the shield's face. With a loud yell of defiance, Telary casts a Firaga spell, sending the flaming orb directly into the back of the shield.

With all the power of a fireball behind him, Sora and the shield rocket forward to Ansem, Oathkeeper reared back for a strike.

Ansem's eyes widen as the Keybearer flies towards him at incredible speed, and he feels the deep pain of the powerful slash Sora crashes into his chest.

Ansem falls, and Telary uses a counter spell to kill the Firaga ball, sending Sora back to the platform, where he lands gracefully on two feet.

Ansem is not so lucky, falling to his knees and clutching at his decimated chest, the Heartless emblem he wears broken into too many pieces to count.

"No," he blurts out brokenly, hardly able to speak against the pain. "This cannot be the answer!" He slowly rises, still holding his chest. "It is futile, you fools! The Keyblade alone cannot seal the Door to Darkness! Kingdom Hearts!" Ansem cries out, reaching one arm for the massive Door. "Fill me with the power of True Darkness!"

The two halves of the Door burst open several feet, thick tendrils of Darkness snaking their way out into the void, writhing and reaching.

"This is it!" Ansem rejoices, rising into the air and holding his arms out wide. "Finally, Kingdom Hearts! Supreme Darkness!"

"You're wrong!" Sora declares, turning the Dark Seeker's head towards him. He stands firm, Azlyn and Telary behind him looking just as determined. "I remember a story I heard once, a true story. It was about a great Darkness, and how the brightest Light rests within. I don't know about you, but I know I've never seen a greater Darkness than this. And do you know what that means?"

Sora steps closer to Ansem. "I know now, without a doubt, Kingdom Hearts… is LIGHT!"

As if responding to the Keybearer's words, the dark tendrils fade away against a tide of pure white Light, flowing from the Door like a mighty stream from a burst dam. The Light slams hard into Ansem, sending a burning throughout his stolen body, purifying it of his influence.

"How can this be?" he hisses out weakly, his last words before oblivion. "The Light is…"

And with that, the Seeker of Darkness is gone.

* * *

**An entire chapter that's basically one gigantic fight scene is not exactly my forte, I must admit, but I still think this turned out to be quite the nice little showdown.**

**And in regards to more things I omitted in my retelling, I'll be the first to admit that I think Ansem's huge ship in the finale of Kingdom Hearts is pretty awesome, but honestly it's another thing that makes more sense gameplay-wise than in storytelling. And also I, y'know, had no freaking idea how I was going to describe the thing!**

**Oh my gosh, only one chapter left and then the epilogue! I can hardly believe I made it this far, and I'm so grateful for everyone who has taken the journey with me! As usual, drop a review if you feel like it, tell me what you think of my Final Battle.**

**Until next time!**


	39. Two Hearts

Sora, Azlyn, and Telary take off for the Door to Darkness with a determined sprint, slamming into its outstretched halves, Sora pushing on the right and Azlyn and Telary teaming up against the left.

"Argh, _come on_!" Azlyn shouts frustratedly, planting her feet firmly on the white stone ground and pushing with her back against it, all of her might focused on the simple, yet somehow impossible, task of closing the Door.

Unable to keep his curious instincts at bay, Telary diverts some effort away from pushing at the Door with both hands to look inside, into the realm of True Darkness. What he sees within makes him falter, nearly slipping and falling to the ground.

"What is wrong with you?" Azlyn yells up at her counterpart, still straining hard against the Door's bulk. "If we're gonna get this thing closed, we're gonna need less staring, and more… Yikes!"

Azlyn risks a peek inside herself, and the sight beyond the Door chills her to her bones. There is hardly any light inside, most befitting the Realm of Darkness. She thinks she can make out something in the gloom, dark pillars rising from the ground.

Sora notices his companions' staring, and strains his neck to peer inside the Door as well, though keeping all of his strength up against the Door's right face. Inside he sees a multitude of glowing yellow eyes, rising up like a legion of Darkness never before seen in the Realm of Light.

"There are Heartless everywhere in there!" Sora says, tearing his eyes from the sight and concentrating once more on the Door. He struggles and strains with all of his might, but it all just seems futile.

Suddenly, though, he feels the Door move by a fraction of an inch, just unexpected enough to unsteady his footing. He looks up, and sees a familiar black-gloved hand, reaching through the other side to grip the rightmost Door.

"C'mon, Sora," Riku says, no trace of anything but pure encouragement and love in his voice. Sora nearly goes into shock, realizing how much he has missed that sound in Riku's tone. "You can't give up! Azlyn, Telary, give it as much strength as you can!"

"Riku!" Sora cries out happily. "Riku come over to this side and help us push!"

Riku shakes his head sadly, but with an undeniable strength. "I can't, Sora. The Door has to be closed on both sides, and it needs two hearts to do it. I have to stay, Sora."

The thought of his best friend trapped for all time in a realm of shadows and death and fear puts another stumble in Sora's step, and he pretty much ceases to push altogether.

"I'll be fine Sora," Riku assures his younger friend, with as much sincerity as he can muster in the promise. "You've got to do this. We all have to do this!"

Reluctantly, Sora nods his assent, and begins to push as Riku pulls. Tears fill his eyes, but still the Keybearer pushes on.

Slowly, through the combined effort of the quartet straining to close the Door, it begins to close, inch by inch, centuries seeming to pass from one movement to the next instead of the heartbeats they actually last.

But there's a sudden sound from inside the Door, and Azlyn diverts her full attention for only a moment to look inside.

Two massive Heartless rise up, at least fifteen feet tall and hugely muscled, a mess of dark tentacles writhing around their faces, yellow eyes peering out.

"Ohhhhh, shiiiiiiiiiiittt!" Azlyn grunts out obscenely, straining harder against the Door than she had even thought possible.

"Now really, Azlyn," comes a gently admonishing voice from inside the dark realm, "is that any kind of language for a young lady to be using?"

The voice shocks the Disney Castle pair into momentary inaction, both looking through the Door for the source of the voice.

In a flash of purple light, one Darkside falls into oblivion, a golden light shining through its scattering dark particles. There's another golden flash, and suddenly the other Heartless is destroyed as well.

"No way!" Azlyn yells out triumphantly, pushing against the Door again, vigor renewed.

There's a sudden flash of bright golden light illuminating the Realm of Darkness, and the trio are all shocked to see that it comes from a golden Keyblade, a sort of reverted color copy of Sora's original blade. A golden shaft, red pommel, and glittering silvery handles fight back the Darkness. Floating down on a golden chain is a glittering heart.

The one holding it is a small fellow, only just barely taller than the blade he wields. The back of his head and two rounded ears form a profile that Azlyn and Telary couldn't mistake in a million years.

"Your Majesty!" they both cry out in sheer delight, suddenly filled with the knowledge that all will be well.

"C'mon, Sora!" King Mickey Mouse of Disney Castle encourages the other Keyblade wielder. "Let's get this door closed for good, huh?"

"You heard the king, Sora!" Azlyn grunts out, a smile on her face despite the effort of pushing.

"But they'll be trapped in there, both of…!" Sora protests.

"There will always be a Door to the Light, Sora," Mickey interrupts in a gentle voice. "We'll all find our way to each other again someday. Trust me on that."

"You can always trust the king, Sora," Telary assures the boy with a confident nod. Sora takes a deep breath and makes for the final push.

"You've done well, Azlyn, Telary," Mickey addresses his subjects affectionately. "You two have been as precious to me as any children of my own could be."

Those words surge Azlyn and Telary's strength, and with a last heave they close their half of the Door.

"Sora," Riku whispers to his best friend as the Door swings shut. Sora looks up and sees the love in the older boy's eyes, the reassurance that they will see each other again. "Take care of her."

Sora knows who Riku's referring to on instinct, and the thought of her warms him as he makes a final shove to close the Door to Darkness, leaving his friend on the other side.

Fighting back a deluge of tears that threaten to burst from his eyes, Sora steps back and raises Oathkeeper to the sky with both hands, the sight of Kairi's charm dangling over his head giving him all the confidence he needs to call upon the Keyblade's energies.

Light swirls all around Sora's body, starting at his feet and twirling around him to gather at Oathkeeper's tip, condensing into a ball of soft, angelic Light.

Across the divide of the Door, Riku watches as Mickey's Keyblade gathers Light at its tip, the Keyblade of the Realm of Darkness fulfilling its long prophesized duty.

The sphere at the tip of Sora's blade disperses into a halo of blue Light, fading out to red before dispersing completely.

Particles of blue Light gather around the door, obscuring it in shining mist even as long orange columns burst up from the ground before it. Soon the glow transfers into the stone of the Door itself, and with a final burst of illumination, the Door to Darkness disappears into the void, sealed against all opening.

Azlyn and Telary stare down the stone path that winds its way further into the Dark Abyss, then look into each other's tearful eyes as they hold hands for comfort.

"We did it," Azlyn tells her counterpart, a triumphant grin shining from her face with a light that seems as bright to Telary as the Door's disappearance.

"Yeah," the wizard stammers through falling tears and overpowering sobs. "Thank you, Azlyn, for dragging me into your crazy adventure."

The knight shrugs. "Any time, Tel. Any time."

Sora watches as the pair fall into an embrace, his heart aching with the knowledge that his own old friends are in places he may never again reach.

"You'll see him again, Sora," Azlyn says, turning and placing a comforting hand on the boy's shoulder. "We'll see them _both_ again."

Telary's eyes rise suddenly, and he grins down at Sora as he gestures for the boy to turn around. "And they're not the _only _people…"

Following the wizard's finger, Sora turns to see Kairi standing at the edge of the white stone floating in the black abyss, looking around confusedly until her eyes lock on the trio. She gives them a small smile and waves.

"Let's…" Azlyn says, beginning to walk over to the girl, but Telary's hand on her shoulder stops her short.

He shakes his head at his counterpart, then nods to Sora. "You go to her," he says through more tears than he'd thought possible to cry. Behind him, a white light begins to glow through the gloom. "Go home, Sora."

The Keybearer nods, looking each of them in the eye in turn. "No matter what, guys… I love you both. Thanks."

And with that, he runs for the girl he loves.

**KH-KH-KH**

Kairi watches as Sora approaches her, outrunning the soft light that envelopes Azlyn and Telary. She swallows heavily, but feels the connection from her heart to theirs' that will never fade away.

The patch of ground she stands on is made of soft yellow sand, so familiar beneath her feet that it gives her a moment's pause. She can feel the small platform drifting slowly away, being pulled in like shells at high tide.

"Kairi!" Sora calls as he reaches out, holding out his hand and gently gripping hers.

"Sora!" Kairi responds, holding on tightly. There's a sudden quake, shaking both lovers hard. But, by holding on and relying on each other's strength, they manage to stay upright, even as Kairi drifts away.

"You remember what you said before, at the Cornerstone?" Sora calls out, receiving a nod from the Princess of Heart. "We're always together Kairi, in our hearts. I wish I could go home with you, but I've got to find Riku. I'm always with you Kairi! I'll come back to you, I promise!"

Kairi holds on against the inevitable separation, her arm straining to maintain Sora's grip. "I know you will!"

The strain is too much, and Kairi lets go of Sora, drifting backwards into the void. She watches Sora as she slowly recedes into the suddenly blue void. Looking up, she thinks it almost looks like the island's sky in the early night.

She returns her vision to Sora, who continues to look down at her affectionately, his hand still out as if he could just stretch the tiniest distance and grab her. Kairi folds her hands in front of her, watching with tears in her eyes.

A light falls into her hand, a tiny yellow orb like the fireflies she remembers catching with Sora and Riku on summer nights. She looks down at it curiously, then suddenly notices that it is not alone.

Looking up, she sees hundreds of thousands of tiny lights, falling from the sky and landing all around. Behind her, trees spring up and the beach reforms, bit by bit restoring the island to its former glory.

She sees Sora smile as he too watches the lights fall, his island returning to its perfect state. He looks down at her, cups his hands to his mouth, and yells something back to her as he fades into the white light, something the girl can't quite hear, but in her heart, she understands.

_"I love you!"_

"I love you too, Sora," Kairi says quietly as the light continues to shrink underneath the island sky, a massive blue void empty of stars. Waves of crystalline perfect blue water lap against the shore.

Kairi's gaze is drawn up from the undulating waves by a sudden pulse from the still shrinking light, now seeming no larger than her fist. She tilts her head at it, then lets her mouth fall open in shock and awe at what happens next.

The lights from before return, though this time instead of falling from the sky, they shoot out into it, uncountable worlds restored to their place amongst the heavens like the most immaculate fireworks show in history. Kairi watches as one by one the lights burst into the night sky, leaving behind a beautiful tapestry of shining stars.

The final remnants of the light that took Sora finally fade out, leaving nothing but blue skies above, twinkling stars shimmering down.

A spark of an idea suddenly ignites in Kairi's brain and she turns back to the island proper, taking a moment to simply admire the place that it is, the ideal home for one such as her.

She pushes through into the clearing and ducks into the cave tunnel, moving quickly along the closed in pathway. Finally, she emerges into the cavern itself.

She glances briefly at the door set in the far wall, then her gaze darts left, to the chalk drawing of a huge castle she had done as a young child, her memories of Hollow Bastion obviously guiding her.

Just next to it is the boy she'd drawn not much later than the castle, the spiky haired one that Sora and Riku had fought for hours over, whether it was of one or the other.

"It wasn't either of you," the Princess of Heart whispers to herself, running a finger along its face. It was her brother all along.

Remembering her mission, she turns to face the portraits she and Sora had done of each other long ago, his sloppy rendition of her and Kairi's more precise representation of the boy facing each other. She steps towards it and falls to her knees, remembering that Sora told her he'd perfected it.

In the drawing, a hand reaches him to her, clutching a paopu fruit and asking for their destinies to intertwine.

Sora had thought it perfect, but Kairi isn't so sure. Picking up a chalk piece that had miraculously remained in the cave, Kairi gives it one final touch.

Now, both she and Sora hold paopu.

Two hearts, forever bound together in one Destiny.


	40. Simple and Clean

"Papa! Papa wake up!"

Geppetto groans at the sound of Pinocchio's loud cries, drawn out of his sleep far too soon for his own liking.

The toymaker rubs at his eyes and yawns. "Alright Pinocchio, calm down, son, calm down. You know, good boys don't wake their fathers up at the crack of dawn."

Pinocchio giggles and places his father's spectacles in his hand. With a nod of thanks, Geppetto perches them on his nose and opens his eyes.

His mouth falls open.

"I think waking their fathers up _is_ something real boys do," Pinocchio counters, smiling with lips of pink flesh. "After all, _anything_ I do now is something a real boy does."

Geppetto laughs loudly and, surprisingly spry for a man of his age, leaps out of bed to scoop up his no longer wooden son, dancing around the room in the soft morning light.

**KH-KH-KH **

"So, whaddya say, Al?" Genie says to his former master with a little wink and a nudge. "I may not have all the mojo I used to, but I think I might still be able to conjure something princely for you."

Aladdin and Jasmine stand in the midst of the boy's hovel, tears still in their eyes from the thrill of reuniting.

Jasmine cocks her head curiously at the big blue lug. "Why would you ever do that, Genie?" She looks at Aladdin, allows him to caress her soft face with his rough hand. "After all, clearly _street rat_ is more my type."

Aladdin pulls her in for a deep kiss.

**KH-KH-KH**

With a long yawn, Alice stretches out and looks around, trying to get her bearings. She remembers so much, and yet very little: a strange world and a terrible Darkness, a cat and something about a key…

"Hm…" she says, looking around the large field she's in, underneath the shade of a solitary tree. A book is open at her feet, and her cat playfully romps around her, chasing a butterfly. "What a strange dream…"

Suddenly she hears a loud disturbance not far away. Interested, she looks up and spots a rabbit in a red waistcoat, hastily checking its watch as it runs through the field at top speed.

"Oh I'm late, I'm late, I'm late!"

The rabbit rushes past her. Alice, far too curious for her own good, follows it, all the while fighting off the oddest sense of déjà vu.

**KH-KH-KH**

If Jack were the kind of skeleton in the habit of admitting fault, he just might think he'd gotten lost in the dead woods of the Hinterlands. He's not, though, and merely considers himself to have wandered to exactly where he should be.

He steps into a large grove, surrounded on all sides by the most peculiar trees he's ever laid eyes on. Each tree seems to have something else painted onto it. Scratching his bony chin, Jack spies a green four-leaf clover, a brightly colored egg, some sort of red white and blue fireworks, and even a golden brown turkey, for fright's sake!

But, most curious of all is the tree that sits in the midst of the grove, another tree painted on it. This tree is very different, however, more triangular in shape and covered in baubles of all different colors against green fir needles.

Curious, he reaches out and grasps what appears to be some sort of bronze handle, pulling the painted symbol open to reveal the tree's hollow insides.

A weak breeze of chilled air blows through, and Jack swears he can hear a faint call of "Ho, ho, ho."

**KH-KH-KH **

The knock on Belle's door startles her out of her dreamy reverie, part of her still wondering how she had managed to get from Hollow Bastion to her room in the Beast's castle so fast, like a blink of an eye.

She rises from her plush canopy bed and goes to the double doors, opening one and coming face to face with the Beast. A medley of noises and voices coming from down the hall tells her that his servants are somewhere nearby, probably the architects of this little visit.

"Um, hello Belle," Beast greets her awkwardly, his eyes looking anywhere but at her own. "It is, uh, it gives me great pleasure to see that you too were able to make it back here."

The girl chuckles and nods politely. "Uh, thank you very much," she says, a bit shocked at this genteel attitude the normally brutish Beast is displaying.

There's a pointed _ahem_ from the hallway, and Beast finally looks up to meet her gaze. "I was wondering if, uh, well, a-and you can say no if you want, it's not like before but um… Would you like to join me for dinner?"

The question throws Belle for a loop momentarily, her mind racing to process it. She remembers what had happened the last time she'd been asked the same question, the reprisal her refusal had brought upon her.

But things seem different now, after the Beast has saved her from the wolves and the Heartless and Hollow Bastion. There's something oddly sweet about her host now, almost kind…

Definitely something there that wasn't there before.

She smiles at him and bends down in a polite curtsy. "I'd love to."

**KH-KH-KH**

Simba follows the sound of loud and sloppy eating out into the jungle. Looking to the source he can see his friends, one a fat brown warthog and the other a tiny but crafty tan meerkat, munching down on something they seem to have discovered under a log.

"Hey, save some for me you guys!" he protests, bounding over to the pair happily. In the back of his head, he thinks again on the strange creature with the key, a boy named Sora…

He'll figure it out later, he decides. Hakuna Matata!

**KH-KH-KH**

The Head Ancestor does not take kindly to Mushu's fanciful description of fighting shadows in a far off land, and it's another week of scrubbing out the Fa family shrine with a toothbrush for him.

**KH-KH-KH**

"…So it's agreed then," the new head of the Hollow Bastion Restoration Committee says to Aerith and Yuffie, looking up at them from his seat at the desk on the Hollow Bastion library's ground floor. "Yuffie and I will head out to check on the state of the town outside, and Aerith will be in charge of orienting anyone who shows up."

"Well, I got one she can start with," Cid suddenly chimes in, opening the library door with aplomb to reveal a tall, blond haired warrior behind him.

Aerith stands up so fast it knocks her chair to the floor with a great clatter. She approaches the newcomer, hand held out to touch his face. He turns away, but then again she'd expected nothing less. "Cloud!"

"He ain't the only one, not by a longshot," Cid informs the crew, hitching a thumb at the door behind him. "They're all waitin' out there, and they all seem pretty damn confused."

The gunblade wielder stands and walks towards the door. "Well, then I guess I'd better get out there and see if I can get them oriented."

"I can help, Squall!" Yuffie chimes in, flipping through the air to land at the man's side.

He frowns down at her. "It's still _Leon_."

By his reckoning, the restoration of Hollow Bastion is far from over.

**KH-KH-KH**

"So where exactly did Kairi _go_, Your Majesty?" Goofy asks the queen, who sits at the desk in the Disney Castle library.

She shrugs. "Home, I assume. Which means that Sora, Azlyn, and Telary managed to win the day."

"If Kairi went home, then why aren't Azlyn and Telary back yet?" Donald Duck wonders, a nervous feeling fluttering in his chest. "Do you think… Do you think they returned to their _real _home?"

"And what about the king?" Goofy adds. "Do ya think they ever found him?"

Minnie sighs, an incredible sadness still sitting in her heart. "I don't know, gentleman. I just don't know…"

**KH-KH-KH**

The man in the black cloak sits on a rock at the edge of a vast sea, the only light coming off the silvery moon high above. All around him sit twisted plants, growing up out of the ground in a heavy thicket.

There's the familiar sound of a dark portal opening, and the man turns his head to see Number XIII emerge from it, blond bangs just barely sticking out of his hood.

"I've been to see him," the Superior informs the boy as he walks closer to his position. Number XIII stops in his tracks. "He looks a lot like you."

**KH-KH-KH**

"I spy with my little eye, something… Green!"

"Uh, I hate to break it to you, Tel, but around here that could be pretty much _anything_!"

The wizard sighs and rolls his eyes, lamenting his counterpart's lack of spirit. "Uh, yeah. That's why it's such a fun challenge, Azlyn. Because there are so many options!"

Azlyn groans loudly and throws herself back against the dusty trail. Still scowling, she looks up at the blue sky overhead, fluffy white clouds blowing by. As she had stated earlier, to either side of the path are vast fields of tall green grass, blowing gently in the wind. At this particular point on the path there are also a few conical fir trees. All green.

"Why isn't Sora back yet?" Azlyn mutters, looking up the tall hill that Sora had decided to head to the other side of and investigate minutes ago, to make sure they were still going the right way.

They'd all awoken only hours ago, under a midmorning twilight sky. It was an odd thing to wake up to, considering their last sight before being engulfed in white light had been the white stone platform in the Dark Abyss. It had taken hours of diligent walking, but they had finally arrived at the hill, the first interesting landmark they'd seen during the entire journey.

"Maybe he found something," Telary posits with a shrug, also wistfully looking to the hill's crest. Suddenly Sora's spiky-haired head bobs over the horizon, and the wizard perks up. "Oh, here he comes now!"

It takes a minute, but eventually the Keybearer reaches his companions, a smile on his face and a spring in his step.

"Well, what did you see?" Azlyn asks, rising quickly and getting in her friend's still cheerful face.

"Just more path like this, unfortunately," he says, his smile momentarily faltering. He perks up quickly, however, reaching down for his pocket. "But on the bright side, I did find…"

"Hey everybody!" Jiminy Cricket greets the crew, hopping out of Sora's pocket and landing on the dusty path.

"Oh, uh, hi Jiminy," Telary greets the royal chronicler, awkwardly admitting to himself that he'd completely forgot about him.

"Oh yeah," Azlyn says, shaking her head. "I completely forgot about you!"

The great thing about Azlyn, Telary knows, is that you never have to feel insensitive alone.

"Thanks for that, Azlyn," Jiminy replies with a sigh.

"How'd you get here, Jiminy?" Telary inquires.

The cricket shrugs. "One second I was waiting on the Gummi ship, the next there was this light and I crawled outta Sora's pocket."

"I guess we're all where we're supposed to be, then," Sora says with a small laugh. "Together again, eh?"

"In the middle of freakin' nowhere," Azlyn grumbles, scowling at the landscape. "Seriously, there's got to be something to do other than just keep walking." She glares at Telary, who seems ready to make a suggestion. "And I _don't_ mean more dumb games."

The older boy's face falls.

"I _could_ use your recaps of everything after Hollow Bastion, for the journal," Jiminy suggests, pulling out the familiar tome.

Sora smiles. "Awesome! I can't wait to tell you about how I closed the Door to Darkness, beat Ansem…"

"Uh, what do you mean 'I'? We were there too, pal!" Azlyn interrupts, lightly hitting the Keybearer on the shoulder. She looks to Telary. "Man, we're gonna have to follow this guy around forever, just to make sure he mentions us in his universe saving stories."

Telary shakes his head. "You save one universe and it's Big Head City, population: Sora."

"So, uh, just to clarify," Jiminy speaks up, drawing the trio's attention back to him. "What are we doin' now?"

Sora frowns, then gives a shrug. "Well, we've got to go find Riku and the king," he states, interlocking his fingers behind his head.

"And how do we do that?" Azlyn ask, prompting a sheepish shrug from the Keybearer.

"The king said something about a Door to the Light," Telary puts forth. "Maybe if we find it, we can use it to go to our friends."

"Kairi," Sora says, drawing her charm out of his pocket. He had returned the Keyblade to its original form and keychain some hours ago. "But where do we start?"

"Pluto?" Telary suddenly blurts out, squinting up ahead.

Sora frowns at the wizard. "Pluto? Is that a world or something, 'cause I've never heard of it…"

He hears a loud bark behind him, and whirls to see a familiar yellow dog emerging from the bushes, the same canine that had woken him up back in Traverse Town. In his mouth, he carries a white envelope.

"Is that…? The king's seal!" Azlyn exclaims, pointing out the green sticker that resembles the outline of Mickey's head.

Pluto doesn't answer, only turning and taking off up the hill, bounding along happily as his black ears bounce up and down.

"C'mon!" Telary says, already taking off.

Sora turns to Azlyn. "Hey, I'll race ya!"

The knight scoffs at his challenge, then takes off sprinting up the hill without another word. Sora grins and follows after her, Jiminy diving back into his pocket to avoid any accidental wind shear.

In only moments, Azlyn overtakes Telary, followed closely by Sora, both passing so near the wizard that he nearly loses his balance in their backdraft.

"You two be careful!" he calls after them, increasing his own speed to keep up. "I don't want you tripping and hurting yourselves!"

"Yes mother!" Sora and Azlyn simultaneously call over their shoulders mockingly, now neck in neck as they crest the hill. They burst into laughter at the jinx, and even Telary has to admit that it's pretty amusing.

The trio runs on through the vast fields after Pluto, firm in the knowledge that whatever the future holds, whatever Destiny has in store, they will be facing it together.

_Regardless of warnings, the future doesn't scare me at all…_

_Nothing's like before…_

_**End**_

* * *

**Wow, there are almost no words to describe this feeling I'm having right now. I mean, I've had this concept in my head for so long, I can remember when it was pretty much a dumb self insert. It took me a while to refine it in hopes of going beyond, and I really think I've done that.**

**I also remember when I set out that there was one thing I didn't want, and that was for Azlyn and Telary to pull too much focus from the canon characters (minus Donald and Goofy, of course). By making sure that Sora, Riku, Kairi et al got as much focus as my own Characters, I hoped to make this story stand out.**

**I also didn't just want a copy/paste rehash of every plot point, and to that end tried to add as much as I could to the storylines of the worlds. I think that may have been where some of my best ideas came from.**

**Also, a big shout out to those who followed the story and faved it, and especially my small cadre of pretty loyal reviewers. There were times that I got a bit discouraged about this project, but thinking of everyone who did and could enjoy this story, however they discover it from this point on, made me realize that I could keep going. If you're one of those people, don't hesitate to leave a review even though it's done. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this story.**

**Speaking of keeping going, I am proud to announce that the current plan is to continue this series, with Kingdom Hearts: Keys to the Kingdom II already being outlined and prepared in hopes of a release by the end of November. Beyond that I have no long term plans for other games, but perhaps my mind will change in the process of writing this next adventure.**

**Once again, thank you all for reading, and I hope to see your names on the follow list for Kingdom Hearts: Keys to the Kingdom II when I get around to posting it.**


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